How it works
One sequence.Each step is evidence for the next.
Your entity supports your visa. Your visa supports your green card. Your payroll supports both. That's why order matters.
- 01
Months 0–2
Trade & market entry
Classify the goods, model the landed cost, choose the channel. This is where duty is saved, before anything is signed.
- HTS classification
- Landed cost
- Channel strategy
- 02
Months 1–3
Entity & structure
The right vehicle in the right state, owned so it supports the tax position and the visa filed later.
- State selection
- C-corp vs LLC
- Banking & EIN
- 03
Months 2–8
Visa & mobility
The route that matches your nationality, capital and role, a treaty route or an executive transfer, not a lottery.
- E-1 / E-2
- L-1A
- O-1A
- Family
- 04
Ongoing
Tax & compliance
Books that a consulate, a bank and the IRS all accept. Transfer pricing is where first-year problems start, so it's handled first.
- Transfer pricing
- Payroll
- Nexus
- Filings
- 05
Months 4–12
Talent & operations
The U.S. team, warehouse and systems that make the entity real, real substance is what every later filing rests on.
- Hiring
- Credentials
- 3PL
- Insurance
- 06
Months 12–36
Settlement
A working visa becomes permanent residence. A business address becomes a life, home, schools, credit, healthcare.
- EB-1C
- EB-2 NIW
- Home purchase
- Schooling
The fork in the road
Your passport decides your route. Not your money.
About 80 countries hold a commerce treaty with the United States, their citizens get a direct investor route. India, China, Brazil and Vietnam do not. Both roads reach the same destination.
Route A · Treaty nationals
Trade first, then invest, then stay.
- E-1Enter on the strength of the trade you already do.
- E-2Or on a real, at-risk investment you'll direct. No lottery, no cap; spouse can work.
- L-1ATransfer yourself as an executive of your own U.S. company.
- EB-1CThe permanent step, multinational executive, no labour certification.
Watch this: E-visas have no direct green-card path. If permanent residence is the goal, the structure is built for EB-1C from day one, not retrofitted in year three.
Route B · Non-treaty nationals
Build the company, then move with it.
- L-1ATransfer into your U.S. subsidiary after one qualifying year abroad, the workhorse route.
- EB-1CPermanent residence for multinational executives; exempt from the lottery.
- EB-2 NIWWhere your work has national importance. No employer or job offer required.
- O-1AFor founders with genuine recognition, often the fastest early route.
Watch this: Citizenship, not residence, is what counts. A founder born in a non-treaty country who holds a treaty passport is on Route A, worth checking before assuming.
Do you qualify?
Most established exporters do.
Our flagship route, the L-1A new-office program, is a business visa, not an investment visa. You do not need huge financials or a large capital reserve. You need a real business and a real role. Here is the honest checklist.
What you need
- A foreign company operating for 2+ years
- 3 or more employees on payroll
- A profitable, financially stable business
- An executive or managerial role you actually hold
- A qualifying link between your company and the new U.S. entity (we design this)
- A credible first-year U.S. hiring plan (we write it)
What you don't need
- A huge capital investment
- A U.S. partner or sponsor
- Prior U.S. presence or sales
- A lottery win
With premium processing, USCIS returns a decision in 15 business days, versus roughly 4 to 8 months on the standard track.
The story, start to finish
What the journey actually feels like.
Here is the arc our clients live, assembled from real milestones. Timelines vary by consulate and case, and yours gets its own written plan on day one.
- 1
Week 0
The call
Thirty minutes. We check your structure, your role and your country's route, and tell you plainly whether now is the time. If it isn't, we say so and tell you what would change the answer.
- 2
Weeks 1–2
The assessment
Corporate documents and shipment history reviewed, the landed-cost model built, the visa route confirmed against your ownership. You get a written go or no-go memo with the numbers shown.
- 3
Months 1–2
The company
Your U.S. entity is formed in the right state with ownership designed for the filing ahead. EIN, bank account, insurance, and a signed office lease, with ready space at our Fremont headquarters if you want it.
- 4
Months 2–3
The plan
Books and payroll go live so evidence accumulates from day one. Our team writes the USCIS-compliant business plan: market analysis, five-year projections and a first-year hiring plan that match your documents to the dollar.
- 5
Months 3–4
The filing
Independent licensed counsel files Form I-129 with the complete evidence package. With premium processing, the decision clock is 15 business days. The petition is built to be decided on the record, complete the first time.
- 6
Months 4–6
The landing
Visa stamping preparation in your language, flights, and the settlement checklist: landing home, school enrollment, SSN, bank account, credit ladder, healthcare. Your family arrives to a plan, not a scramble.
- 7
Year 1 and beyond
The build
American hires, warehouse, first direct revenue. Every payroll run and purchase order becomes green-card evidence. When the operation matures, typically from month 18, counsel files EB-1C for permanent residence.
An illustrative journey assembled from real client milestones. Every case is different; immigration filings are handled by independent licensed counsel and outcomes are never guaranteed.
Check yours
Every route starts with a passport.
- Ships to U.S.
- $87.4Bof goods in 2024America buys: Pharmaceuticals, gems & jewelry, textiles, engineering goods, seafood
- Treaty
- Corporate route
- Lead route
- L-1A → EB-1CAlso consider: EB-2 NIW · O-1A · EB-5
- Note
- No E-treaty. The corporate structure carries the case: a qualifying foreign entity, one year of prior employment, and real U.S. operations.
U.S. Census Bureau goods-import data, full-year 2024, rounded · dataset verified August 2026. Indicative only: treaty status, routes and figures are confirmed against current official sources, and by licensed counsel, on your readiness call.
Find out what your route actually looks like.
A 30-minute readiness call. No cost, no obligation, and if the answer is “not yet,” we’ll say that.