The EB-1C is one of three green cards in the employment-based first preference, alongside EB-1A for people with extraordinary ability and EB-1B for outstanding professors and researchers. It is the category for multinational managers and executives: people who have been working for a company outside the United States and are moved to a related company here.
Like the rest of the first preference, the EB-1C does not require a labor certification, the Department of Labor recruitment step that EB-2 and EB-3 cases usually need. The petition goes straight to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and a successful case leads to a green card, which is permanent residence. For all of the employment-based categories and how they compare, see the employment-based green cards overview.
An EB-1C case rests on two things: the worker's recent history, and the relationship between two companies.
In the three years before the petition is filed, the worker must have spent at least one year employed abroad by the company, in a managerial or executive role. If the worker is already in the United States working for the same employer, that one-year period is measured against the three years before the worker first came here to work for it.
The worker must be coming to the United States to keep working for the same employer, or for its parent, branch, subsidiary, or affiliate, again in a managerial or executive capacity. And the U.S. employer must have been doing business for at least one year.
The employer files the petition. There is no self-petition for the EB-1C: unlike EB-1A or a national interest waiver, the worker cannot file alone.
These two terms have specific meanings in the immigration statute, and most EB-1C cases turn on them.
Managerial capacity. A manager primarily manages the organization, or a department, subdivision, function, or component of it. That usually means supervising and controlling the work of other supervisory, professional, or managerial employees, with authority over hiring, firing, and similar personnel decisions. The law also recognizes a function manager, someone who manages an essential function of the organization at a senior level rather than supervising staff. A first-line supervisor of non-professional workers is not a manager simply by virtue of the supervision.
Executive capacity. An executive primarily directs the management of the organization, or a major component or function of it. An executive sets goals and policies, exercises wide latitude in making decisions, and receives only general supervision from higher executives, a board, or shareholders.
A senior job title, on its own, establishes neither capacity. What matters is what the person actually does.
The foreign company and the U.S. company must have a qualifying relationship. They can be the same employer, or one can be the parent, branch, subsidiary, or affiliate of the other. The link is defined by ownership and control: a parent that owns a subsidiary, two affiliates under common ownership, or a single company running a branch in each country.
The relationship has to exist when the petition is filed and continue afterward. Just as important, the U.S. entity must be doing business, meaning the regular, systematic, and continuous provision of goods or services. A company that exists only on paper, or an office that does not yet do business, does not meet this requirement.
The EB-1C is often called the permanent counterpart to the L-1A intracompany transferee visa. The definitions of managerial and executive capacity are the same, and both require a qualifying relationship between the foreign and U.S. companies. Many managers and executives first come to the United States on an L-1A, sometimes through an L-1 blanket petition, and the employer files an EB-1C later.
The two are still separate filings under separate standards, and an approved L-1A does not guarantee an approved EB-1C. USCIS reviews the green-card petition on its own record, and these cases often draw close scrutiny.
Two differences matter most in practice. The L-1A allows a brand-new U.S. office, opened within the past year, under special first-year rules. The EB-1C does not: because the U.S. employer must have been doing business for at least a year, a brand-new office generally cannot support an EB-1C yet. And the L-1A is temporary, capped at seven years, while the EB-1C is permanent.
One more point of confusion. The L category includes the L-1B for specialized-knowledge employees, but there is no EB-1C equivalent for specialized knowledge. The EB-1C is only for managers and executives.
The employer files Form I-140, the immigrant petition for a worker, under the multinational executive or manager classification. There is no labor certification step.
The petition has to document each piece described above: the qualifying relationship through ownership records, proof that the U.S. company has been doing business for at least a year through tax returns and financial statements, organizational charts, and a detailed description of the worker's role both abroad and in the United States.
Premium processing is available. For the EB-1C, USCIS commits to acting within 45 business days, longer than the 15 business days that apply to most other I-140 categories, because these cases are more document-intensive. Premium processing guarantees that USCIS will act within that window (by approving, denying, or issuing a request for evidence or a notice of intent to deny); it does not guarantee an approval.
Once the I-140 is approved and a visa number is available, the final step is either an immigrant visa interview at a consulate abroad (consular processing) or adjustment of status inside the United States. Whether a visa number is available depends on the applicant's priority date and the Visa Bulletin. The first preference is often current, but applicants born in countries with very high demand, such as India and China, can face a wait.
The role. The most common dispute is whether the job is genuinely managerial or executive, rather than that of a first-line supervisor or a senior employee who mostly performs the work. A function manager has to show real management of an essential function at a senior level.
Small organizations. A small company is not disqualified, but USCIS examines whether the business is developed enough to need, and to support, a full-time manager or executive. The standard is the reasonable needs of the organization in light of its size, stage, and operations.
Doing business. The U.S. entity must actually be trading for the required year, not merely registered.
The relationship. Ownership and control between the two companies must be clearly documented and must remain in place.
Leaning on the L-1A. Because the EB-1C is decided independently, an earlier L-1A approval does not bind USCIS, and the green-card petition can be denied even where the L-1A was granted.
Important note. This article is general information about U.S. immigration law, current as of mid-2026, and not legal advice. Eligibility rules, government fees, and processing times change, and every case depends on its own facts.
