L-1 visa from an affiliate
I worked as Dept. Director at a Spanish Hotel from Jan 08-Jul 09. My employment was in the Hotel full-time, but was hired/paid through a consulting firm they employed (and still employ) to manage the operations of that department. I have now been offered a position (Dec 2010) in a similar Managerial/Director job within the Hotel's parent company in the USA but I have not got a US work permit, (I am Spanish). Can I qualify for the L1-blanket visa of the Company, based on my history with their consultant? Do I need to be employed by Hotel in Spain again prior to applying for the L1 visa?
Interesting situation. Not having researched this issue, I am guessing, the only way you can qualify for the L-1 is if you can establish that the hotel in Spain was your "true" employer in that they controlled you, even though your salary was paid by the consulting company.
I've been working with LORK the last 5 years, and it has always been a pleasure working with them. They've dealt some tough cases for us, and I have immense confidence, when they are handling our cases. Recently, we had our L1 petition approved, and we are very impressed with extent of details covered. It was a pleasure working with Vikas Varma, and LORK's attitude of making sure the employer's reputation is not at stake at the USCIS.