Not until both conditions are met. The petition needs the relationship, which exists at closing, and the year of employment, which is complete only on the payroll anniversary. File on the later date and plan the transfer after the decision.
Two clocks, and the petition waits for the slower one
A common sequencing error is to file as soon as the deal closes because the U.S. location needs a manager immediately. If the manager's payroll record began ten months earlier, the petition is filed two months too early and will be refused regardless of how urgent the business need is.
The reverse error also occurs: the anniversary passes but the acquisition has not closed, so the qualifying relationship does not yet exist. Map both dates at the start and file on the later of the two. The interim can be bridged by the U.S.
dealership's existing staff, by short business visits that do not involve productive employment, or by hiring a local manager on a temporary basis. Once filed, premium processing shortens the wait for a decision, and the manager's move, his family's admission and any lease should be scheduled after the approval notice arrives. Filing early to hold a place in line does not work; a premature petition is decided on the facts as they stood on the filing date.