Start on the documents at least two to three months ahead. The decision itself can be same-day at a port of entry, but assembling management letters and matching them to payroll records is the slow part, and a petition route adds USCIS processing time.
The border decision is quick; the evidence is not
Everything that makes Rowan's application work has a lead time attached to someone else. A former employer takes weeks to produce a letter describing eleven-year-old duties. A college registrar takes longer than expected to issue a transcript and a programme description.
An adviser needs the whole package, not pieces of it. Against that, the port-of-entry decision itself may take under an hour when the file is complete. If the employer prefers to file Form I-129, add USCIS processing time, or premium processing where the employer elects it, and remember the approval notice then has to be in hand before travel.
Seasonal pressure cuts both ways: a resort that needs a manager in place before its own opening will not tolerate a slipped date, so the honest conversation about lead time belongs in the offer negotiation.