H1 To L1 transfer/conversion

[the_dot]

Hello All-

1. I am on H1B VISA and have been in USA for past 7 years (except year 2010)

2. I was in India whole 2012 (all 365 days) and Jan 2011 as well. I then came to USA in Feb 2011.

3. company has filed my GC in EB3 category which is going to take forever as we all know

4. I am working as project manager and 15+ my company employees are reporting to me. I have been with the current company for past 3 years (out of which 2010 was in India) but have total 14 years of IT experience.

My queries are-

1. Is it okay to file EB1 (after L1A approval) while my EB3 is still pending? Is it possible in first place?

2. It is a general trend that L1 candidates have to go back to India for visa restamping at the time of visa extension. Is that true for L1A category VISA as well?

3. If USCIS approves my L1A petition, do I have to go outside of USA or India for this status change?

I would appreciate some guidance here, please. Thank you for your time.

Regards