Read the general business expansion overview
A Pointe-des-Cascades company may consider shared U.S. premises for its launch. Explain the access, permitted activities and resources available rather than assuming that the label shared office either proves or defeats sufficient premises. The first review should produce a premises checklist, a foreign-employment chronology, an entity chart, and a one-year operating plan tied to the actual space. New-office L cases require more than an address: the operation must be supported by the available premises and evidence. Hypothetical example: a reusable laboratory-glassware maker proposes a small production suite with separately booked loading access. The decision is whether that agreement supports the planned work and the claimed first-year role, rather than merely offering a U.S. location.
Describe what the agreement actually provides
Identify the workspace, access rights, intended use and unresolved limitations. Hypothetical example: a proposed arrangement supplies meeting space but leaves the actual operating use unclear. Explain suitability for the business’s real activity; an address or marketing description is not the complete premises evidence. Obtain the complete agreement, floor plan where available, permitted-use terms, and evidence of access on the dates claimed. The practical choice is whether the company can perform its real activity there without relying on assumptions about future upgrades. A meeting room can support meetings; it does not automatically support manufacturing, storage, or supervised staff.
Keep the new-office category conditions specific
For a new office—less than one year of U.S. business—the premises must be sufficient for the proposed activity. L-1A also requires the qualifying foreign managerial or executive year and evidence that the U.S. operation will support that capacity within its first year. L-1B requires a qualifying transferee with specialized knowledge and evidence of ability to pay the employee and start business. Compare the actual space agreement with the work and resources described in that proposal. Match the category to the individual before the business plan is polished. L-1A requires the qualifying foreign managerial or executive employment for a new office; L-1B requires the transferee’s specialized knowledge. Record the one-year foreign employment in the relevant three-year period, then test whether the space, funding, and staffing plan answer the correct category’s requirements.
Connect the premises to the actual organization
The qualifying corporate relationship and required international business remain necessary; registration alone is not doing business. Initial new-office approval is limited to one year, with actual operating evidence needed later. Owners or major stockholders also need temporary U.S. services and subsequent foreign-assignment evidence. Assess the real proposal without inventing a universal floor-area or exclusive-lease rule. Put formation documents, proof of ongoing foreign business, and the U.S. entity’s authority in one entity file. The decision is whether the related organizations are actually operating and connected as required, not whether they share a brand or a registration agent. Track the first-year evidence from the launch date instead of trying to recreate it at extension time. Longer-term staffing must also account for the general L-1 caps: seven years for L-1A and five years for L-1B. A successful first-year operation does not reset the time already counted.
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.