Flabound oneday

you need to be VERY careful

the VWP is limited in what you can/cant do business wise.

you cannot WORK, you can attend meetings . if you are going to receive any compensation (car etc) you could be deemed to be working and put your whole visa at risk

at this stage I would quote the great Folinsky ' a discussion with an immigration attorney (ie the one doing your application) is in order'

SecondRow

Duly noted. I did a bit of reading and from what I could gather, as long as I'm still being paid in the UK, I should be okay but I'll speak to my CFO and get him to speak to the attorney because as you say, the car thing may be an issue and I wouldn't want to do anything to jeopardise the visa.

I may have to rent a car myself for the month or something. I'll talk it over with the CFO and CTO today.

Cheers.

Flabound oneday

good luck....'should be ok' ........get that to 100% ok.

when you said in the previous post 'I am moving ......

that would raise huge red flags to any IO

SecondRow

Disregarding the car for now - would renting an apartment while on VWP affect my visa application negatively, do you think?

So, I fly in on the 13th, have an apartment rented ready for me with a 6-12 month lease and then my visa application is processed at the end of June/early July?

SecondRow

Okay - I just spoke to my CFO (and spoke to the CTO earlier) and they're both sure that I'm going to be fine and the immigration attorney that has been doing this for years said it will be fine as we're being completely open about the intentions. The company is saying "We need him over here... visa isn't done until early July so we're having him come over early to start some training".

So.... flight is now booked! Fingers crossed it all goes smoothly from here on out.

cedros699

Is it a blanket L1 ?
If not, if you company already filled papers with USCIS or if you already filled DS160 if it's a blanket, you could have problem at POE, the general rule is to not go to the US when you have a visa under processing ...
That's what my company lawyer told me when I filled ds-160.

SecondRow

Not a blanket L1 - the CFO told me the solicitor fees for the application cost $7,500 so I'm certain they wouldn't allow me to come over on a VWP first if it were going to negatively affect my application. That's before the government fees and my CFO also told me they were going to "see what they can do" with the fee to expedite so they're spending a fair bit of money on this.

I'm not saying you're wrong - I'm just going by what I've been told. My CFO was adamant that it would be ok based on what the immigration attorney told him so I'm just going to go with it. Fingers crossed!

I made an offer on an apartment last week but it was already gone so in the process of making an offer on another. The interior isn't quite my cup of tea (kind of like... tacky false French) but the views over the intercoastal are awesome and it's by the beach so location will make up for it I hope.

Sally Redux

I also seem to remember you are not meant to be in the US when the visa is processing. Definitely don't say you are 'moving' there in June.

scrubbedexpat099

Probably not a good idea broadcasting to the world.

SecondRow

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'll certainly talk to my cfo some more and in the meantime leave this thread alone. I'll update in a month or so.

Seen this:

"Can I travel to the U.S. while my application for an immigrant visa is being processed?

If you intend to take up permanent residence in the United States, you are required to wait until the immigrant or fiancé(e) visa is issued. You cannot reside in the U.S. on a tourist visa or travel there visa free under the Visa Waiver Program while awaiting the issuance of an immigrant or fiancé(e) visa. However, if you wish to make a short visit for business or pleasure at the end of which you will return to your permanent residence outside the U.S., you may travel on a tourist (B-2) visa, or visa free under the Visa Waiver Program, if qualified."

I will be returning to the UK before officially moving and will still own my house in the UK so providing proof if necessary isn't an issue although I'm not applying for a fiancé or an immigration visa. I need to adjust my terminology slightly because I know I'm not officially "moving to America" in June but in my head, that is when I'm leaving the UK and will only be coming back for a weekend or so when the visa is processed.

Thanks again, I'll update later.

SecondRow

So my L1 visa was approved on Monday - I'm currently waiting for the attorney to receive the approval from USCIS, add their supporting documentation and then mail it to me in England so I can book an appointment at the consulate in London.

Any idea how long it usually takes for mail to arrive from USCIS after the approval & also how long it takes to get passport back from London after the interview?

Cheers.

Junebug72

congrats on your visa you have no idea how lucky you are to get this visa, as most people coming here get a e2 visa that doesn't lead to a green card wow you enjoy it you have like won the lottery have a wonderful life i love fort lauderdale if you get a chance look up shulas steak house food so nice and the local shopping mall so great has a wonderful food court and your not a million miles from miami

SecondRow

A week today since approval and still no word from attorneys so will chase up today. Current waiting time for appointments in London is 4 days so hopefully I can book one while the docs are on their way to me.

Flight tentively booked for Thursday next week (10 days from now but can always be changed) so hoping I can get it all done by then.

SecondRow

Just had my interview (visa was approved), was scheduled for 10.30 so started queuing at around 9. Was finished by 10.30 and back on the train home by 11.

They asked my job title, what my company does, where I'll be based and also about my education and work background. Was pretty straightforward and stress free. Now just to wait to get my passport back so I can head out there.

SecondRow

So it's been a pretty long, drawn out journey since my first post on Oct 31st 2013 but on Monday I get back my passport and I am flying to MIA on Tuesday with my L-1B visa. Finally having a date is such a relief because even when I knew visa was approved, I still wasn't sure when I could actually go.

It's Friday night, time to celebrate I think