EB-1C Green Card for Multinational Managers and Executives

You may qualify if all of these are true:

1. You worked abroad for at least 1 year in the last 3 years for a company that is related to the US employer. If you are already in the US working for the same employer (for example on an L-1A visa), the 3 years are counted back from when you entered the US in that status.
2. That work abroad was managerial or executive. Specialized knowledge work (the L-1B type) does not count.
3. You are coming to a managerial or executive job in the US.
4. The companies are related as parent and subsidiary, branch, or affiliate.
5. The US employer has been doing business for at least 1 year at the time of filing.

Manager or executive?

A manager runs the organization, a department, or a key function, and supervises professional staff or manages an essential function. An executive directs the organization or a major part of it, sets goals and policy, and gets only general supervision. A job title is not enough. USCIS looks at duties, the organization chart, and who does the day-to-day work.

The US employer files Form I-140. You cannot self-petition. There is no PERM labor certification, so the company does not need to test the US job market (compare the PERM process used for EB-2 and EB-3).

Employers planning a transfer and a later green card can read our employer guide to the L-1 visa. The usual path is L-1A first, then EB-1C once the US company has at least a year of operations.

Typical evidence includes organization charts for both companies, payroll records, proof of ownership, tax returns, and detailed job descriptions. Your spouse and unmarried children under 21 apply as derivatives.

EB-1 gets 28.6% of employment-based green cards each year, about 40,000, plus unused numbers from EB-4 and EB-5. EB-1C shares that pool with EB-1A and the other EB-1 subcategory. No country can use more than 7% of the combined yearly total.

Your priority date is normally the date USCIS receives the I-140. You can take the final step only when the monthly Visa Bulletin shows your date as current.

• Most countries: EB-1 has usually been current or close to it.
• India and China: EB-1 has had backlogs of several years.
• Mexico and the Philippines: usually treated like most countries in EB-1.

Check the Visa Bulletin tracker for this month's dates.

• Adjustment of status (Form I-485) if you are in the US. If your priority date is current, the I-485 can be filed with the I-140.
• Consular processing (DS-260 and a consulate interview) if you are abroad.

L-1A holders are in dual-intent status, which helps. The memo still says dual intent alone is not enough, so keep your L-1 status and employment records clean.

The 2026 adjustment of status memo. On May 21, 2026, USCIS issued a policy memo (PM-602-0199) that treats adjustment of status as a discretionary benefit. USCIS said that people who are in the US on a temporary visa and want a green card should expect to apply from their home country, except in extraordinary circumstances. The memo applies to pending and new Form I-485 filings. Meeting the legal requirements is now treated as the minimum: officers weigh your whole record, including whether you used your visa for its stated purpose. Legal challenges were expected, so check the current position before you file.

The 2026 interview freeze. Since August 25, 2026, the State Department has paused scheduling of immigrant visa interviews worldwide while consular officers train on public charge screening. No restart date had been announced as of September 22, 2026. Track it on our immigrant visa pause page.

Travel ban. Nationals of the 39 countries covered by the travel ban (Proclamation 10998, in effect since January 1, 2026) generally cannot receive immigrant visas abroad, and USCIS has held many pending applications from those countries for extra review.

Public charge. A new public charge rule took effect on September 18, 2026. It replaces the 2022 rule with a broader "totality of the circumstances" test of whether you are likely to rely on government support.

Government fees as of September 2026, from the USCIS fee schedule:

Check the USCIS fee calculator before paying. Legal fees are separate.

• Small US offices. If the US company has few employees, USCIS asks who does the routine work. A manager who mostly does hands-on tasks may not qualify.
• New offices. A US office open for less than a year cannot file yet.
• Changes in ownership. If the company relationship changes before you get the green card, the petition can fail.
• Gaps in the 1-in-3-years rule. Short stays abroad or time on unpaid leave may not count.

If you receive a Request for Evidence, see our guide to RFEs and NOIDs.