The First Preference EB1-C is an immigrant visa reserved for multinational managers or executives who seek permanent United States residency in order to run or oversee the operations of a US based business. While the visa is similar to the L1-A non-immigrant visa in nature, the EB1-C Green Card visa provides managers, executives, and other senior personnel with a direct path to US citizenship, allowing them to avoid the hassle of renewing a non-immigrant visas, and facilitating the way for those who intend to remain in the US long term and eventually become US citizens.
The EB1-C Green Card visa requirements are, however, still very similar to those of the L1-A, as applicants are required to submit evidence that they have been employed outside the United States in a managerial or executive capacity and for at least 1 year in the 3 years prior to filing the petition, and that they must be seeking to enter the United States to continue working for that same employer, an affiliate, or a subsidiary of the employer.
Furthermore, USCIS regulations require that petitioning employers meet a few additional conditions. They must be conducting business in two or more countries, one of which is the United States, and they must have been doing business for at least 1 year in the United States. However, as no previous relationship is required to exist between the U.S. and foreign entity for any period of time prior to the filing of the EB1-C petition, a first preference petition on behalf of a qualified manager or executive who worked for the foreign entity can immediately be filed by a U.S. entity that has been acquired by a foreign corporation.
Once a beneficiary has been given an offer of permanent and full time employment in the United States, the application, known as the I-140, can be filed by the employer and the Visa process can begin. Once approved, beneficiaries need only wait until their priority date is current before applying for an adjustment of status. This process takes an average of 6-8 months before USCIS issues permanent residence, making the EB1-C one of the fastest paths to permanent residence available for qualified foreign workers.
Applicants who secure the EB1-C visa typically come from two groups, the majority of which are non-immigrants currently in the United States under an L1-A visa seeking an adjustment of status, and foreign managers and executives applying from abroad directly for the immigrant petition.
While USCIS places higher scrutiny on the latter group, both applicant groups can benefit greatly from the inclusion of a business plan in their supporting documentation. Professionally written, well-developed EB1-C First Preference Business Plans, such as those produced by Joorney Business Plans, are capable of providing detailed information relevant to the petition, such as:
Detailed information regarding the applicant’s background, work history, relation to the employer abroad, and duties at the US company
Job descriptions, personnel tables and hiring plans that help support the beneficiary’s positions as a qualified manager or executive
Financial tables and reports that demonstrate the Foreign Company’s and US Company’s abilities to support the beneficiary and other employees
USCIS looks favorably on immigration business plans, including EB1-C Green Card Business Plans, as these documents provide adjudicating officers with a structure format that they are accustomed to seeing. The team at Joorney Business Plans has partnered with hundreds of immigration attorneys to deliver immigration visa business plans that greatly reduce chances for Requests for Evidence (RFE). Our experienced staff of advisors and professional writers have worked with thousands of applicants to streamline the visa business plan writing process. EB1-C Visa Application Process
