Read the general pathway comparison overview
A Saint-Mathias-sur-Richelieu owner may have acquired shares before or after taking a working role. Identify the actual employment period and investor rights separately rather than treating the ownership date as proof of every category condition. Hypothetical example: a stormwater-sensor calibration business is partly owned by its working founder, who has spent the last year managing a related foreign company and is also considering a personal U.S. investment. The first review creates separate employment, ownership, capital and control timelines. The decision is whether the facts support a qualifying temporary transfer or a treaty-investor enterprise, rather than selecting the route that seems to require the fewest documents.
Establish the work relied upon for L
General L requires a continuous qualifying foreign year within the relevant three years in managerial, executive or specialized-knowledge work and an independently qualifying U.S. role. Ownership alone does not show the employment or duties performed during that year. The qualifying corporate relationship and required international business also need evidence. For L, match the foreign payroll and duties to the claimed managerial, executive or specialized-knowledge capacity, then separately prove the qualifying relationship and U.S. role. The continuous qualifying foreign year must fall within the prior three years. L-1A is limited to seven years and L-1B to five years, so the timing record is part of the route choice.
Establish the actual E-2 transaction and authority
E-2 concerns relevant treaty nationality, qualifying ownership and development and direction through control, with substantial lawful capital committed at risk in a real nonmarginal enterprise. The date shares were acquired can be relevant evidence without proving that every capital, authority and operating condition is satisfied. For E-2, identify the investor's treaty nationality, the enterprise's qualifying ownership, authority to develop and direct, and the path of personally exposed capital. Funds must come from a lawful source, be committed irrevocably, and remain at risk, and the enterprise cannot be marginal. These elements are not supplied by a share certificate or a past job with a related company.
Compare the timelines without merging them
Build separate timelines for share ownership and actual employment, attaching the purchase record to one and work records to the other. Mark any period for which duties or employment are unconfirmed; a share certificate cannot fill that gap. New-office L-1A also requires the foreign managerial or executive year, sufficient premises and support for the U.S. role within one year. Owners or major stockholders need temporary U.S. services and a subsequent foreign assignment. The useful comparison explains which requirement each date supports, rather than treating the oldest document as a universal qualifying start. Choose only after comparing the required record against the desired work, investment and timing. A person may have facts relevant to both categories, but each route has its own governing conditions and procedural consequences. The useful outcome of the comparison is a dated evidence list and a decision about which missing fact can realistically be resolved first.
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?How should an owner compare L-1 and E-2?Editorial source review: 2026-09-07. General preparation guidance, not an individual assessment.