L1A/L1B - the right visa for my case?

[x_butnocigar]

I've been working in India with a US based company for close to 5 years now. My overall work experience is close to 13 years. I have a total of 10 reports (8 directs), with a 2 in the US and another 2 in US who report to one of my directs. I lead my team which consists of devs, QAs and business analysts. I was working with a consulting firm in the US for 6 years on my H-1B before moving to India and joining this company full-time.

My company wants to send me to the US - though there are no strict timelines as of now. They have initiated the process within the company and it is expected to take a month or so for a formal offer package to be agreed. My company will help with the visa logistics - though I'm not sure how much they will actually help.

I was looking at the US visa appointment timelines and in India, all the available consular offices have a waiting period of more than 300 days. There is an interview waiver option, but I'm not sure if I will be eligible for it. I have never been rejected a US visa previously. I'm not sure if my company will offer a blanket L or not.

Now, given my situation, can someone suggest if I am eligible for :

• L1 A or L1 B
• in-person interview waiver

I'm assuming that by waiving off the in-person interview, I can look to transfer to the US early 2023. I don't really want to wait for more than a year to get my visa appointment and/or potentially travel to the US.

[Libra_14]

L1 A or L1 B

You are eligible for both L1 visas.
For L1A you need to prove that you are an international manager / executive (have hiring/firing rights).
For L1B you need to prove that you've some specialized skill, which is not available in USA (domain knowledge).

in-person interview waiver

Blanket L1 does not qualify for dropbox. Otherwise you are eligible for dropbox.
Appointment availability is totally unpredictable, Embassies are opening slot on some interval, you just need to keep on checking for any available slot. Or if someone cancel's an appointment & you are lucky enough to grab that.

I'm assuming that by waiving off the in-person interview, I can look to transfer to the US early 2023. I don't really want to wait for more than a year to get my visa appointment and/or potentially travel to the US.

Frankly, visa appointment is not in your hand to plan, it is based on availability & partially on your luck.