Change of status from L1A to H1B

USA H1B Visa
1

I am currently in L1 blanket petition (L1A) and visa duration from Mar 2011 to Feb 2014

(I94 valid till May 2014)

I currently also got my H1B approved in consular processing - I797 approval from Dec 2012 to Dec 2013

Question is

1.Why is that I have been offered H1B only I797 for only one year?Is it because my L1A is taken in to consideration and give the H1B approval?

  1. I know going for extension is one more hassle and if applied for extension will I be offered extension for only another 3 years? considering my start date from Mar 2011? Is it true?
2

  1. There can be multiple reasons - your employer requested for 1 year or USCIS found that term appropriate based on submitted documents (like project, SOW etc) or you have only 1 year term left (i.e. spend 5 years inside US on L-1).

  2. You can continue to get extensions in 1 year or 3 years multiples (again based on submitted documents and information). This can be done until you reach the cap of 6 years on L-1 and H-1 visa statuses in US.