Read the general business expansion overview
A Saint-Mathias-sur-Richelieu employer may have several job descriptions for the proposed transferee. Date the duties actually performed during the relevant foreign period rather than applying the latest title to the entire history. Hypothetical example: an underwater-robotics cable manufacturer promotes a production lead eight months before planning a U.S. new office. The first review puts dated foreign duties beside the U.S. business plan, premises evidence and staffing forecast. The decision is whether the employee has the required qualifying foreign year in the correct capacity and whether the new operation can support the proposed role within its first year, rather than whether the latest title sounds senior.
Keep dates and capacities tied to the real record
General L can rely on qualifying managerial, executive or specialized-knowledge foreign work, with a continuous qualifying year within the relevant three years. New-office L-1A specifically needs the managerial or executive foreign year. Identify changes in actual responsibilities and have the relevant period assessed; a recent promotion does not rewrite earlier duties. Request the foreign employment timeline, payroll, organizational charts and records showing what the person actually did in each period. For L-1A, the relevant foreign year must be managerial or executive; an L-1B request requires specialized knowledge. A late promotion can be important, but it should be described with its real effective date.
Connect the U.S. launch to the requested category
New-office treatment concerns less than one year of U.S. doing business. L-1A needs sufficient premises and evidence that the operation will support the managerial or executive role within one year. New-office L-1B needs its specialized-knowledge and qualifying-employment evidence, sufficient premises and financial ability to pay the employee and begin business. Match the launch documents to the requested classification: premises, capitalization, commercial plan, projected personnel and the duties expected as the operation develops. The first review should identify who will perform ordinary production or service work while the transferee is expected to manage or apply specialized knowledge. A lease alone does not establish that the role will develop as described.
Retain organization and assignment evidence
The qualifying corporate relationship and required international business remain necessary, and initial new-office approval is limited to one year. Owners or major stockholders also need temporary U.S. services and a subsequent foreign assignment. Keep dated descriptions, supporting records and genuine changes visible so the assessment concerns the actual employee rather than a reconstructed title history. Put the one-year initial new-office period, the seven-year L-1A cap or five-year L-1B cap, and any later foreign-assignment requirement on one calendar. That timeline identifies the next decision point before commitments are made. It also prevents a plan for a permanent U.S. position from being mistaken for proof of the required temporary services.
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.