The United States issues over 100 different types of visas, but one of the most desirable is the Multinational Manager or Executive Visa, also known as the EB-1C or EB-1-3. These visas are reserved for mid to high level employees of multinational businesses who are being asked by their employer to move to the United States.
In order to qualify for a Multinational Manager or Executive Visa, an applicant must meet certain requirements:
- The applicant must have been employed for at least one of the three preceding years by the overseas affiliate, parent, subsidiary, or branch of the U.S. employer.
- The applicant’s employment outside of the U.S. must have been in a managerial or executive capacity, and the applicant must be moving to the United States to work in a managerial or executive capacity.
- The applicant’s employer must:
- Be a U.S. employer;
- Have been doing business for at least 1 year, as an affiliate, a subsidiary, or as the same corporation or other legal entity that employed the applicant abroad; and
- Provide a job offer and file an Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker, Form I-140, with the USCIS.
- The applicant must also file all the required application forms, obtain required civil documents, pay the required fees, and undergo medical examinations.
Unlike most other employment based visas, the Multinational Manager or Executive Visa does not require a labor certification. This means that the employer does not need to prove that there is a lack of qualified workers already living in the United States. This somewhat shortens the processing time compared to other employment based visas, but the waiting period for a Multinational Manager or Executive Visa is still hard to predict.
The Multinational Manager or Executive Visa is one of the three types of “first preference” employment visas (hence the EB-1 abbreviation). First preference applicants receive 28.6% of the approximately 140,000 employment-based visas issued each year. Compared to other types of visas, the Multinational Manager or Executive Visa actually gives applicants a good chance of being approved, although there can still be a long wait because employment-based visas are issued in the chronological order in which petitions are received.
The immediate family of a Multinational Manager or Executive Visa holder, including spouses and unmarried children under the age of 21, are allowed to apply for visas as well. Usually, after five years, the entire family can apply for citizenship.
Although the Multinational Manager or Executive Visa filing process is relatively straightforward, it can still be confusing to someone that is unfamiliar with immigration laws. An experienced immigration attorney can help the applicant put together a complete application so that he or she has the best chance of being granted the visa. For a consultation, contact our office today.