What becomes known at twelve months
Four things are uncertain at the start of a first station and known a year later. Whether the person has been promoted into a role with responsibility for people or a function, which decides which categories are available in North America and elsewhere. How the family has adjusted, which decides whether a second move is realistic. Whether the family wants its own entity in the destination, which decides whether an intra-company route can run through the family's affiliate. And, with the person's country of birth already known, which second-station routes are fast and which are slow.
The routes the facts open
| Fact at twelve months | Opens | Closes or slows |
|---|---|---|
| Promoted to a managerial role with at least a year ahead in it | United States L-1A and, later, EB-1C without labour certification; Canada ICT as an executive or manager | Nothing; this is the strongest position |
| Specialist role, no management | United States L-1B; Canada ICT as specialised knowledge; Australia 482; UK Senior or Specialist Worker | EB-1C; the L-1B five-year limit starts to matter |
| Born in mainland China or India | EB-1 categories, national interest waiver, Canada, Australia | PERM-based United States categories become multi-year waits |
| Family wants its own destination entity | Sponsorship by the family's own affiliate after a qualifying year; joint-venture structures | Requires the entity to be operating for a year before some routes exist |
| Family has not adjusted | Remaining in the first station; a closer second station | A distant second station |
The exits to write down
A second station has an end. It may be permanence with the current employer, after which the person is free. It may be an early transfer to the family's own company where the law allows, in the United States once an adjustment application has been pending long enough. It may be a joint venture, set up from the start so that the employer is partly the family's. Or it may be a sponsorship by the family's own overseas affiliate, which requires the person to return there as a manager for a year first. Each has a different timeline, a different cost and a different effect on the person's status if something goes wrong. The decision point is the place to choose one and to write the choice into the agreement between family, employer and person.
Why a written decision matters
Immigration authorities are suspicious of plans that appear to be improvised, and families are badly served by them. A written decision at twelve months, with the route, the timeline, the responsibilities of each party and the exit, is both a planning document and, later, evidence that the assignment was what it claimed to be. It also protects the person: a successor who knows the plan can prepare for it, and can say no to it.
What WG does at the decision point
- Reviews the twelve months of evidence and the promotion record
- Maps the second-station routes available on the facts, with indicative timelines by country of birth
- Lists the rights of each family member under each candidate route
- Sets out the exit options and their consequences
- Coordinates counsel in the destination for a formal eligibility opinion before anything is filed
General information, not an individual eligibility decision or legal, tax or investment advice. The competent authority determines the outcome. WG’s engagement and any regulated professional work are scoped separately.