Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) issued a new ruling that allows the visa issuance period to correspond to that set in reciprocity schedules. The DOS maintains these records, which may be accessed at: http://travel.state.gov/visa/fees/fees_3272.html.

The first line of inquiry for any specific L-visa holder or applicant will be, quite logically, the duration set in the DOS reciprocity schedule. If it is, the next question is whether the country issues visas for a period greater than 3 years. If the answer is yes, then the L-visa holder will benefit by having less frequent applications for visa reissues. Nevertheless, the visa holder should provide his or her immigration attorney with a copy of each I-94 entry card, in the event there is a mismatch between the DOS and Customers & Border Patrol (CBP) expirations.