A multinational manager or executive is eligible for priority worker status. The eligibility criteria are similar to the L-1 visa:
- He or she has been employed outside the U.S. in the three years preceding the petition for at least one year by a firm or corporation and
- Seeks to enter the U.S to continue service to that firm or organization as a permanent worker.
- The employment must have been outside the United States in a managerial or executive capacity and with the same employer, an affiliate, or a subsidiary of the employer.
The petitioner must be a U.S. employer, doing business for at least one year, that is an affiliate, a subsidiary, or the same employer as the firm, corporation or other legal entity that employed the foreign national abroad. Definitions of terms relevant to this EB-1 category are found in 8 CFR § 204.5. While the EB-1 worker of extraordinary ability may petition for himself or herself, the employer must file the petition for an outstanding professor or researcher and a multinational executive or manager.
In layperson terms, the L-1A – Green Card allows you to avoid the cumbersome Labor Certification process.