L1B to EB2/EB3 and years of experience

[meloteby]

Hi,

I'm currently on L1B visa and my employer is starting a green card application for me. I had exactly 4 years and 9 months of experience in the company's branch abroad before I relocated to USA on L1B, then I spent another 9 months in USA on the L1B visa, so my total experience is 5 years and 6 months so far. I understand that a minimum of 5 years should qualify me for EB2 preference, but do these 5 years have to be accumulated before moving to USA on the L1B visa?

Thanks