I have passed interview process to "one company" (not going to say their name until everything is signed an ready :) i am superstitious). They have offered me to move to bay area with H1B now or be 1 year at their London office and then apply for L1. So question is which option is better and why? I have a wife and a child. So i would also like to my wife to be able to work. Since bay area is quite expensive i have heard.
London on L1. It’s a no brainer
Dont come here...traffic is bad .. Don't want to increase it ;)
H1 is safe bait ... L1 u stick to company...l1 eb1 GC is long shot ...might not be possible always...h1b is like tortoise...eventually u will win the race ( GC )
Depends what you want: if you want to stay with the company for 4-5 years go for L1. Then move to US and file for GC in EB-1 category. If you don’t plan to stay with company for more than 2 years, come on H1B and shift jobs. In L1 you are stuck with less salary but higher change of getting GC in 1 year
And your wife can work if you're on L1.
I am not sure how few people are generally suggesting that an L1 can lead to an expedited GC under EB1. For expedited processing of GC under EB1, one has to be in the L1-A visa category (and not even L1-B). Further, to qualify for the L1-A visa, one has to be in a supervisory role with direct reports (Project Managers would not qualify) I thought it important to present the correct picture to OP! If anyone has any genuine information counter to what I have said, please do present. However, just saying that L1 will expedite GC is incorrect (IMO). If employee is on L1-B, then the visa category would be EB2 or EB3, both of which have long wait times for GC I personally believe that, if one is unable to obtain an L1-A visa, then it is better to be on an H1. In OPs case, it would mean staying in London, till he gets an H1 approved.
You're right. Even on L1B, green card on EB2 has strict conditions. To qualify you have to either have an advanced degree (masters), or at least 5 years worked in the company prior to the transfer. You can forget about the latter already since you would stay in London only one year. But if you're from a nationality that is not capped I think EB2 only saves you about 6 months during the first step of the application (PERM). Apparently, since last year spouses can work if they get a H4 visa related to the H1B visa's holder. Bu there's a catch: they can only get the H4 visa if the H1B holder has started the green card process. So even if your employer starts it right away she will probably not be able to work for the first 6-12 months. See here: https://www.h1b.io/blog/can-dependent-spouse-h1b-visa-holder-work-us/ I guess it's up to you to do a thorough research on the cost of living here versus your income to see if you could live comfortably with just your salary or she must work. Just keep in mind that the L1 visa ties you to your emoloyer until you get a green card and that can take many years. Also since you have no way to change jobs they will underpay and overwork you as much as they want because you have no option. I'm talking from experience here.
Functional manager can get L1A without direct report.
Do you have a PhD? If so go with O1. No lottery and it’s half the way to EB1.
GC wait times depend on your Country Of Birth. Factor that in.
H1B's are gone this year.
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London on L1. negotiate to come to US after 1 year, apply for GC and get your green card in EB1 in 6 months
Thanks for the info. What is EB1?
Green card category - check online