The petition can be filed as soon as the post-closing documents exist; with premium processing a decision arrives within the published window, and she may enter on the approval. Without it, ordinary processing takes months.
File when the ledger is updated, not when the deal is announced
The petition depends on proof of the qualifying relationship, so it should not be filed until the share transfer is complete, the stock ledger amended and the resolutions signed. In the hypothetical that happened two months ago, so the corporate evidence is available now. The operations manager’s qualifying year is already satisfied and can be documented from payroll.
Filing on Form I-129 with premium processing produces a decision within the published premium window, after which she presents the approval at a port of entry and is admitted, as a Canadian citizen, without a visa appointment. Regular processing has no guaranteed timeline and can run several months. Her initial admission is for up to three years because the U.S.
company is an existing operating business, not a new office; the one-year new-office limit does not apply to an acquired going concern that has been doing business for more than a year. Extensions run in two-year increments to a maximum of seven years in L-1A status. The family can enter with her or later.