L1 Visa Path to Green Card

[Captain1117 0]

Hello Friends

 

         I am an Indian citizen, aircraft engineer by profession, living and working in a management role in an aviation company in Canada since March 2014. My employer brought me in work permit to Toronto and I was with same company from 2012-14 in UAE, in management role. My Canadian PR has been approved in express entry but due to issue with my separation, my lawyer had to file a separate response and hence its got delayed.

        Both my sisters have moved to California and my company has a role open in California headquarters. I am waiting for the job interview soon. One of my sister got their GC recently.

        If I take up the job in California, I understand I am eligible for L1 visa.

 

         How long does it take to get L1and after L1 what is the timeline to get GC.

         My mother is staying with me and her health is not great, though she has no current major condition.

         If I get GC, can she stay with me and what is best option for her medical coverage.

 

        Appreciate if experienced members can help.

 

        Thanks   

              

         

[Roel 7,193]

Your mother would need her own visa. She can be sponsored by a child that's US citizen. I believe only spouses can join work visa holders.  Not parents. 

[Captain1117 0]

Hi

 

    Thanks for the reply.

     My query wasnt about my mother joining me in L1.

     We will apply for her visitor visa.. 

     My first question is     

 

How long does it take to get L1and after L1 what is the timeline to get GC

[Roel 7,193]

I don't know about l1 visa but your mother cannot pernamently live in the US on toursit visa. 

 

Also all things related to your visa should be handled by the company lawyers. So I'd ask them. 

[debbiedoo 2,339]

i dont know about greencard, but a company sponsoring you can get a visa pretty darn quick. my fiance's son was offered a position with yahoo in california and had a visa in hand within a couple of weeks max. might depend on the company and how much they can grease palms or expedite things, but yeah. it was fast. 

[WeGuyGal 1,052]

Your company/Legal is your best bet for what kind of visa you're qualified for. Any MNC should have a robust legal team to assist with visa queries and timelines. 

 

Your mother can apply for a US visitor visa. If she obtains one, she can visit the US for up to however long CBP allows her in, but she cannot live here. She must spend the majority of her time outside the US. There are some online posts popping up about US embassies requiring medical coverage for the elderly before a visa is issued so they do not become a public charge in the US. If I were you, I'd research medical coverage and funding options for someone in her age category. 

[Emily975 11]

Please keep in mind that your company sponsoring your green card is purely and solely their good will. There is absolutely no requirement (legal or otherwise) for them to do it. A lot of companies will file after a certain amount of time (i.e a year, two years.... or just before L1 expires) or they tie it to performance reviews. Or they have a policy of not doing it AT ALL. Talk to the immigration lawyer of the company you work for.

 

That being said, my ex-husband's company sponosred him (and he sponsored me) after 2 years of US employment. The process took about 8 months, but that was 3 years ago so I suspect timelines are a lot longer nowadays.

[Boiler 45,895]

L1 is a temporary worrk visa.

 

You can also be sponsored directly for an Immigrant Visa, how long depends which category you are iin. Some people in the use on a L1 are sponsored for a GC, some are not.

 

If your Mother wants to visit then she needs to obtain a visa and Travel Insurance, same as for visiting you in Canada.

Edited July 5, 2018 by Boiler

[Coco8 1,042]

L1 does not take long because there is no quota and there is premium processing, so let's say 15 days. 

 

A GC from India takes for ever. If you are under the EB2 category, which you might because of your education and experience, it takes 10 years. The only way in which your GC could take a short amount of time (~ 2 years) is if you qualify for EB1, but that is really really hard (that category is for nobel prize, etc.). 

 

Lawyers at your company will have a better idea about whether you'd qualify for EB1. 

 

As they mentioned above, your mother could only live in the US if your sister became a US citizen and applied for her green card. The application would take 1 year. Moreover, health insurance in the US is expensive and it does not cover much. You basically have to pay every time you go, unless you get great insurance through your work -- which would not be possible for an old person and there is also that thing that if you are sick they can decide not to give you insurance. Coverage is Canada is much better and cheaper. 

 

California is very expensive. That is something to consider. And getting permanent residence and citizenship in Canada might be much easier than getting US citizenship.