Strategy walkthrough

Bringing your company — or yourself — to the U.S.

Whether you run a business abroad, hold the nationality of a treaty country, or have a record of exceptional achievement, there may be an option for you to start working in the U.S. with a valid work visa. Here is how to find yours.

An illustrative roadmap to help you picture the path — not legal advice or a guarantee of any outcome.

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Find your route

Three potential pathways

Most founders and experts enter through one of three routes. Explore the one that fits your situation.

Which sounds most like you? — tap to explore (optional)

L-1

Expand your company

You own or manage an established business abroad.

The L-1 transfers an owner, executive, manager, or specialized-knowledge employee from your company abroad into a related U.S. entity. It works regardless of your nationality — no treaty required — and for managers it opens a clear runway to an EB-1C green card. See the multinational walkthrough

E-1E-2

Treaty trader or investor

You’re a national of a U.S. treaty country.

E-2 lets a national of a treaty country invest in and direct a U.S. business; E-1 covers substantial ongoing trade. The threshold question is nationality — only nationals of countries that hold a trade or investment treaty with the U.S. qualify. Check whether your country is a treaty country

O-1

Extraordinary ability

You have a standout record in your field.

The O-1 needs no company abroad and no treaty — it is about you. It does require a U.S. petitioner: either a U.S. employer (which can be your own U.S. company, if appropriately organized) or a U.S.-based agent. For founders and experts with real recognition in business, science, technology, or the arts, it can lead to an EB-1A or EB-2 NIW green card.

Many founders qualify for more than one. Part of the work is identifying the route that is strongest for your facts — and your timeline.

What every route needs

The building blocks

The routes differ, but the foundation is similar: a credible U.S. plan and the evidence to support it.

A genuine U.S. business or professional activity

not a placeholder

Documentation of your company or your achievements

the proof that carries the case

A real U.S. presence where the route requires it

office, operations, or a qualifying petitioner

A plan we build together

matched to the route you choose

Build the legal strategy

Your legal strategy

Whatever the route, the outcome turns on legal strategy: choosing the right basis, framing the case correctly, and assembling evidence that genuinely supports it.

Custom intake and supplemental questionnaires

we ask exactly what your route needs, so you can focus on what matters

L-1 & E: a detailed business plan and financial projections

O-1: a portfolio of achievements, recognition, and expert support

Every piece of evidence reviewed twice over

Jack checks each item for individual merit and for how it fits the overall portfolio, catching the inconsistencies that draw government scrutiny

A custom client portal for your case

your documents, status, and next steps in one place

That portal is jimmi™ — your immigration companion. A glimpse of a case in motion:

✓Route chosen

●Evidence

3Petition

4Decision

Evidence gathering underway — two items waiting on you.

Case documents

Company registration — certified copyReviewed

Financial statements — latest yearYour input needed

Business_Plan_v3.pdf

Jack Attorney

Reviewed the plan — the hiring projections need one more year of detail before we file.

R. Client Founder

On it — the plan writer will have that Friday.

Illustrative sample — not a real case.

File your petition

Choose how you file

When the case is ready, you choose how to file — each route works a little differently.

Change of status

Only if you’re already in the U.S.

Available only if you are already inside the United States in another valid nonimmigrant status. USCIS changes your status here, so you don’t leave for a consulate interview — but you generally wait in the U.S. until approval before traveling internationally.

Consular processing

Interview at a U.S. consulate abroad.

If you are abroad — or prefer a visa stamp in your passport — you obtain the visa at a U.S. consulate after the petition is approved. The route for anyone not already in the U.S.

Premium processing gets USCIS to review many petitions in 15 business days.

Your spouse and children under 21 can join you — on L-2, E, or O-3 status depending on your route. L-2 and E spouses are generally work-authorized.

The long game

From temporary to permanent

Each route has a path to a green card. Knowing your long-term goals at the outset helps you choose the route that fits them.

L-1A managers → EB-1C

multinational manager or executive — see the multinational walkthrough

O-1 talent → EB-1A or EB-2 NIW

extraordinary ability or national interest — see the self-petition walkthrough

Adjusting status in the U.S.? Evidence built for current USCIS policy

a full build-out of your positive equities for the discretionary analysis in USCIS’s adjustment-of-status guidance — Read more about Jack’s approach

We plan the temporary visa and the green card together, so your long-term goals are accounted for at the outset.

Book a consultation

Routes and timelines depend on your facts and current government processing. Treaty-country eligibility is confirmed individually.

An illustrative roadmap — not legal advice or a guarantee of any outcome.

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