Can I skip the mid-level manager stage and go straight to EB-1C?

In the EB-1C category, there is no mid-level manager stage to skip. This visa is designed for executives and senior managers who led strategy and operations at a company abroad and are transferring to an affiliate, subsidiary, or branch in the United States.

Eligibility does not depend on climbing a hierarchy of levels, but on demonstrating that you genuinely held a high-responsibility role: making strategic decisions, managing significant teams or departments, and exercising real autonomy. If your background was primarily in middle management, you may not qualify for EB-1C, regardless of how solid your overall experience is.

What adjudicators typically evaluate is the nature of the role itself, not a job title:

• The level of decision-making authority and autonomy you exercised.
• The scope of the teams, departments, or operations under your supervision.
• The qualifying relationship between the foreign company and the U.S. entity.

Trying to skip a stage that does not reflect your actual history tends to weaken the case. It is worth verifying the current requirements and discussing with a specialist whether EB-1C is the right path or whether another category may be a better fit.

About the author

Victoria Harper

Editor-in-Chief

Meet the author

As a journalist and lead editor at Visto n’ Visa, Victoria helps ensure that immigration topics are covered in a clear, trustworthy, and easy-to-understand way. Her focus is on delivering useful, human, and relevant content for people exploring new paths abroad.