Read the general business expansion overview
A Châteauguay company may propose shared premises for its U.S. opening. Assess their suitability for the actual business rather than treating a prestigious address as sufficient proof or inventing a universal rule against shared space. Begin with a timeline showing the foreign company’s operations, the proposed U.S. launch, the worker’s qualifying employment and the first year’s staffing milestones. The review should separate facts that already exist from forecasts that must be credible. The individual must have completed one continuous qualifying year abroad during the preceding three years; a launch plan cannot replace that employment record.
Explain access and operating needs
Document what space and facilities the company can actually use and how they support the proposed operation. A mailing address by itself does not demonstrate sufficient premises. Match the account to real staffing, equipment and service needs. Match the premises record to the operation promised in the business plan. The lease, access terms, floor plan, equipment list and service contracts should show what the U.S. entity can actually do from that location. A first review normally identifies any mismatch between a small workspace and the claimed inventory, customer visits, staffing or production before the petition describes it as settled.
Use the correct new-office standard
The L new-office framework concerns an organization that has been doing business in the United States for less than one year. For L-1A, establish the qualifying continuous foreign managerial or executive year within the relevant three years, sufficient premises and an operation supporting the qualifying role within one year of approval. Initial new-office approval is limited to one year. For an L-1A new office, decide whether the one-year plan supports a managerial or executive role rather than merely a senior worker doing the operating work. Staffing chart drafts, budgets and hiring authority are more useful than an aspirational title. For L-1B, document the specialized knowledge, financial capacity and the actual tasks that require it. Initial new-office approval is limited to one year.
Keep company and worker requirements together
The qualifying group must continue the required business in the United States and abroad. L-1B requires the relevant specialized knowledge and foreign employment, sufficient premises and financial ability to pay the worker and begin business. A workspace contract does not establish those separate conditions. Hypothetical example: An industrial dehumidification service leases a small U.S. unit while its foreign manager plans to inspect sites and hire technicians after contracts are signed. The company must decide whether the budget and secured premises support that managerial plan within the first year, or whether the current facts describe a technician performing the service. The ordinary L-1A maximum stay is seven years; the L-1B maximum is five. For an initial L-1B new-office request, the U.S. entity need not already be doing business; it must show sufficient premises and financial ability to remunerate the beneficiary and commence business.
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.