Document assembly usually takes longer than adjudication. Allow time to gather payroll, build the chart and correct the role description, then USCIS processing for Form I-129, shortened by premium processing if the contract start date requires it.
The chart repair is the critical path
Hypothetical example: Marcus's timeline has three stages. The first is evidence: collecting Canadian payroll and charts, tracing ownership between the two companies, and confirming the subsidiary's staff and premises. This stage is where the crew-composition problem must be solved, either by hiring supervisors in the United States or by restructuring the description around the maintenance function, and neither happens overnight. The second stage is adjudication. USCIS publishes processing times for Form I-129, and premium processing guarantees action within a set number of business days for an additional fee. The third stage is admission. As a Canadian citizen he can present the approval notice at a port of entry without a visa stamp; a spouse or child of another nationality would need a consular appointment. A first approval runs up to three years for an established office, or one year for a new office, with extensions to a seven-year maximum.
Hypothetical example: A refrigerated-warehouse operator needs its Canadian general manager in the country before a new warehouse opens. The critical path is not merely petition processing: it includes proving the foreign year, documenting ownership, and showing the U.S. role will be managerial on the requested start date. The opening plan, staffing timetable, and lease records should agree. If supervisors will not be hired until months later, an established-office managerial description may be premature.