Getting my Green Card
#18
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 719
Re: Getting my Green Card
I think it depeneds on the kind of visa, and also the way in which they sponsor you. I think that if you are on an l1a (which gives you an initial 5 years, with a 2 year extn)...and l1b gives you 3 years with an optional extra 2 for a total of 5. I think that if I were to go for a gc, they'd need to go through labor certification and the process takes longer than the 5 year max that I can get. Please not, this is just my understanding of it, I might be wrong.
#19
BE Enthusiast
Joined: May 2005
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 349
Re: Getting my Green Card
correct me if im wrong...but switch from L1B to GC is pretty hard isnt it because of the time lines involved. I was thinking about asking my employer to sponsor me, but the timeline is currently at 6 years of something ridiculous like that, but the visa only lasts for 5 years...so basically my visa would expire before I'd ever get a GC...I've only just got my L1B and have until 2013 so I'm not going to worry about it yet...
I wouldn't write off the possibility of getting a green card within the 5 years of an L1-B, but if you are at all interested in doing so, speak to your employer now. Although you say you don't want to worry about it yet, if your employer agrees, you could get the process started off and be at least in with a shot. In the last couple of visa bulletins the priority dates for 'rest of the world' have jumped forward from 2002 to 2005 in a couple of months. Although this is no guarantee of what they might to next it is certainly encouraging.
We waited 18 months before starting the green card process and I regret that now - it is surprising how quick the months go by!
#20
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 719
Re: Getting my Green Card
Hi pejpm1,
I wouldn't write off the possibility of getting a green card within the 5 years of an L1-B, but if you are at all interested in doing so, speak to your employer now. Although you say you don't want to worry about it yet, if your employer agrees, you could get the process started off and be at least in with a shot. In the last couple of visa bulletins the priority dates for 'rest of the world' have jumped forward from 2002 to 2005 in a couple of months. Although this is no guarantee of what they might to next it is certainly encouraging.
We waited 18 months before starting the green card process and I regret that now - it is surprising how quick the months go by!
I wouldn't write off the possibility of getting a green card within the 5 years of an L1-B, but if you are at all interested in doing so, speak to your employer now. Although you say you don't want to worry about it yet, if your employer agrees, you could get the process started off and be at least in with a shot. In the last couple of visa bulletins the priority dates for 'rest of the world' have jumped forward from 2002 to 2005 in a couple of months. Although this is no guarantee of what they might to next it is certainly encouraging.
We waited 18 months before starting the green card process and I regret that now - it is surprising how quick the months go by!
#21
Just Joined
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 25
Re: Getting my Green Card
I came here on an L1B then moved over to H1B and I'm in my 9th year with a H1B extension that'll take me to 11 years on different visa's. To get this long on different visa's you have to be actively pursuing an AOS to green card and be someway into the process (not completely sure of all the details but you do have to push your labor cert as that will most likely take the longest). I would have much preferred the 10 month route to green card. It may be quicker these days with the PERM process and USCIS getting a bit quicker.
#22
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jun 2005
Location: Oz -> UK -> San Diego
Posts: 9,912
Re: Getting my Green Card
I came here on an L1B then moved over to H1B and I'm in my 9th year with a H1B extension that'll take me to 11 years on different visa's. To get this long on different visa's you have to be actively pursuing an AOS to green card and be someway into the process (not completely sure of all the details but you do have to push your labor cert as that will most likely take the longest). I would have much preferred the 10 month route to green card. It may be quicker these days with the PERM process and USCIS getting a bit quicker.