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What country are you and what holding company. L1A is the best visa pound for pound, in my opinion
Do L1-A if you can, and start immediately (or as soon as you can) on greencard. I did that - my agency supported (ie. Paid for, lawyer etc) greencard after 2 years.
It's true that your mobility is quite limited on L1-A. So get on GC as soon as you can.
I'm sure the TN is what they're pushing on you - but if you want to buy time until you have enough awards/experience to get an O-1, it might not be the worst.
In terms of h1b, it varies greatly year to year depending how much demand there is. I applied in 2012 when there was less applicants than visas, so everyone got one. Now you're essentially entering the lottery.
An alternative to TN->O1 might be TN->H1b, but I'm not 100% how that works. (Ie, if you lose the lottery whether you can maintain your TN.)
I did TN > H1B > Greencard
Took 6 years, and that was on the fast side for someone not on an O or not working for a tech or finance firm.
And honestly if you really want the job and can get a TN I would take it. Any ‘beginner’ visa like a TN or L1A are not transferrable as you say but you have to balance that with an employer being willing to sponsor you and go through any additional cost or time to try to get a visa like an H1B.
South African with Canadian husband. We did TN visa for 3.5 years and then transitioned to Green Card. Qualified on husband's PhD /highly skilled in biotechnology. Was a very long road with tons of paperwork.
I’m Canadian, open to any holding company. L1A seems like a decent option for sure. Main downside from what a friend told me is you have zero mobility if you want to switch companies while you’re stateside.
You can move to other agencies in your holding company