Read the general business expansion overview
A new-office file often surfaces a mismatch: the premises agreement was signed by a holding or affiliate company, while a different entity would employ the transferee. That raises two separate questions. Who holds the right to occupy the space, and what qualifying relationship links the entities involved. There is no prescribed lease form to produce, so the work is to show sufficient physical premises and the relationship with the documents that actually exist.
Establish who may occupy the space
Start from the signed agreement and record the lessee's exact legal name, the address, the term, the area and the permitted use. If that name is not the employing entity, look for what bridges the gap: a sublease, a licence or occupancy agreement, the landlord's written consent, an intercompany arrangement, or a resolution authorizing use of the space. Correcting or documenting the arrangement is better than describing it loosely as a group lease. Because no single document is prescribed, ask what would establish the right to occupy on these particular facts, and gather that.
Show the qualifying relationship on its own evidence
Premises documents do not establish a corporate relationship. Draw the current ownership and control chain, identify the dated records supporting each link, and explain any reorganization or renaming with those records rather than from memory. The qualifying foreign operations must continue doing business, and depending on the actual structure that may occur through another qualifying entity rather than the original employer, so describe the structure as it stands. Separately, set out the individual's one continuous year of qualifying employment abroad within the relevant three-year period, since that timing is assessed for the person.
Connect the premises to the role the office will support
Hypothetical example: a group in which a parent company signs every real-estate agreement as a matter of internal policy, while an operating subsidiary would employ the transferee and occupy part of the space. Beyond fixing the paperwork, explain what the office will do. Initial new-office approval is limited to one year, and for L-1A the operation must be able to support a managerial or executive role within that year; there is no fixed headcount. If the proposal instead rests on specialized knowledge, that means special knowledge of the organization's interests and its international application, or advanced knowledge of its processes and procedures, not general familiarity.
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: 2026-09-07. General preparation guidance, not an individual assessment.