L-1A Approval for Operations Executive from Kenya

Kenya

Director of Operations, Healthcare and Home Care Services

Colombo & Hurd secured approval of an L-1A petition for a Director of Operations from Kenya who will lead a U.S. healthcare and home care services company. The petition was approved in 15 days with Premium Processing, without a Request for Evidence (RFE).

The L-1A category is built for intracompany transfers of managers and executives. It requires the employee to serve in a genuine managerial or executive role rather than primarily handling day-to-day operations. In this case, our client, a Kenyan national, was transferring from the company’s U.K. operations, where he held a senior leadership role, to an executive position directing its new U.S. healthcare and home care business. Home-based healthcare is a growing part of how patients receive medical support in the United States, and running these operations calls for steady executive leadership across compliance, staffing, and finance.

Our client is transferring to launch and lead the company’s U.S. operation as Director of Operations, reporting directly to its executive board.

The petition was led by Partner Salvatore Picataggio, who structured the case around the executive nature of the position and the client’s authority over the organization.

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Client Profile

EB-2 NIW Visa

Our client comes to the United States after leading operations for the company’s healthcare and home care business in the United Kingdom. As Director of Operations, he held executive responsibility for the business, directing service delivery and answering to the company’s ownership and board.

In that role, he set operational strategy, managed budgets, and oversaw compliance across the operation. He supervised senior managers, guided the launch of new services, and led the turnaround of underperforming ones. This work gave him deep, first-hand knowledge of how the organization runs, from its regulatory framework to its workforce and growth. His background in accounting and finance strengthens that command, especially in budgeting and financial performance.

The U.K. company is the parent of the U.S. business, which was formed as a new office preparing to begin operations. The client is transferring to launch and lead that U.S. operation. He will set strategy and policy, oversee compliance and financial performance, and build the operational team as the business grows.

The Challenge

The petition needed to show that the Director of Operations role is truly executive under the L-1A standard. That meant showing his work placed him at the top of the organization’s decision-making, setting strategy and policy, holding authority over senior staff and budgets, and answering only to ownership and the board.

Because the U.S. company was a new office, the case also had to show the business was ready to support an executive at its head, prepared to launch, grow, and build its team under his direction.

Strategic Approach

The petition showed that the U.S. position was genuinely executive and that the client had the leadership experience the category calls for. The employer’s support letter set out his responsibilities and made clear that most of his role goes to directing strategy and supervising senior management, with authority over their work, staffing, and budgets. His duties in compliance, financial planning, and business growth were documented as senior-level responsibilities.

The petition also showed that the U.S. office was ready for him to lead. It established the relationship between the U.K. parent and the U.S. business, confirmed the parent’s active operations abroad, and showed that the new U.S. office was prepared to begin.

The Result

USCIS approved the L-1A petition in 15 days, without issuing a Request for Evidence. With the approval, our client can transfer to the United States to launch and lead the company’s U.S. operation, guiding its healthcare and home care services as the new office establishes and grows.

Case Overview

Category	Details
Visa Classification	L-1A (Intracompany Transfers, Executive)
Nationality	Kenya
Professional Field	Healthcare and Home Care Services
Position	Director of Operations
Education	Bachelor of Arts (Honors) in Accounting Studies
Request for Evidence (RFE)	No
Attorney	Partner and Immigration Attorney SalvatorePicataggio
Premium Processing	Yes
Outcome	L-1A petition approved
Date of Approval	July 28, 2026

This case was handled by Partner and Immigration Attorney Salvatore Picataggio of Colombo & Hurd, a U.S. immigration law firm specializing in employment-based visas including L-1A, EB-2 NIW, and EB-1A petitions. The firm has secured over 10,000 successful visa and green card approvals for clients from more than 100 countries.