Read the general business expansion overview
A Sables-Spanish Rivers company planning a US office should show what the transferee can decide and who performs routine tasks. Multiple reporting lines can be explained, but they do not replace proof of a qualifying managerial or executive role.
Determine the correct office framework
The new-office definition concerns a US organization doing business for less than one year. Establish the qualifying corporate relationship and regular, systematic and continuous business in the United States and abroad. Document a continuous full-time foreign year within the relevant three years; exclude US days without automatically treating brief visits as interrupted continuity.
Apply the specific foreign and US capacity rules
New-office L-1A requires the qualifying foreign year to be managerial or executive. Ordinary L-1A may also use qualifying foreign specialized-knowledge employment, but that broader rule does not apply to this new-office condition. Secure sufficient premises and show support for a primarily managerial or executive role within one year of approval. Explain genuine discretion, reserved approvals and operational support instead of drawing unsupported authority on a chart.
Track the first year as an actual operating record
Initial new-office approval is limited to one year. For L-1B, establish qualifying knowledge, premises and financial ability to pay and commence business. Keep staffing, decisions and finances current, especially if another leader takes over the applicant’s responsibilities. Owners or major stockholders also need the applicable temporary-service and subsequent foreign-assignment evidence. A forecast does not guarantee an extension.
What else is on your mind?
Does being a business owner or director qualify me for L-1A?What employment history should an L-1 transfer review cover?What makes a new-office L-1A case different?Why does an L-2 spouse’s admission record matter for work?Editorial source review: 2026-09-08. General preparation guidance, not an individual assessment.