Read the general business expansion overview
Incorporation, lease commencement, fit-out and first revenue rarely fall on the same day. For a new-office proposal, record what actually happened on each date and with which document, so the file shows when the operation began doing business and when the premises were ready, instead of implying that one date covers all of it. Hypothetical example: a handheld-spectrometer calibration company signs for a small suite, orders benches, and has no customer invoice before the proposed transfer. The decision is whether the premises, funding, and first-year plan are documented as they actually stand, rather than dated back to incorporation. A first review should distinguish secured resources from projected operations.
Build one timeline with a document beside each date
List the incorporation certificate, the lease and its commencement date, any licences, the start dates for utilities and insurance, the first purchase orders, the first invoices and the first payroll run. Hypothetical example: a company is incorporated in one quarter, signs a lease that commences in the next, and issues its first invoice later still. Each of those dates is accurate, and none of them alone answers the question the file has to address about actual operations. Tie each date to its source: signed lease, utility activation, bank payment, licence, invoice, or payroll record. Those records do different work and may expose a gap between forming an entity and commencing operations. Decide which facts can be represented as current and which belong in a forward-looking business plan.
Describe the premises as they will be used
A new-office petition calls for evidence that sufficient physical premises have been secured. Explain the size, the layout and the intended use, say whether the space is shared or exclusive, and identify the work remaining before staff can occupy it. If the space is temporary or the fit-out incomplete, say so with dates and supporting documents rather than describing an intended final state as though it already exists. A new-office case requires sufficient physical premises secured for the proposed operation. Measure the actual space, identify any sublease or shared use, and retain the executed agreement and proof of the right to occupy it. Decide whether the premises can support the stated activity now, or whether the plan must accurately describe work still required before launch.
Keep the foreign side and the one-year horizon in view
The qualifying corporate relationship and the applicant’s one continuous year of qualifying employment abroad within the relevant three-year period are examined on individual timing, and the qualifying foreign organization must continue doing business according to the actual structure. Initial new-office approval is limited to one year, and for L-1A the operation must be able to support a manager or executive within that year; no fixed headcount is prescribed. Record changes as they occur so the extension record can explain the sequence. The transferee must have worked continuously for one qualifying year during the three years before the petition or admission request, as applicable. Track prior L time as well: L-1A stay is generally capped at seven years and L-1B stay is generally capped at five years. That timeline tells the reader whether the planned assignment fits both eligibility and the available period.
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.