IN THIS GUIDE · Explain responsibilities retained in Canada alongside the proposed U.S. role
Start with the L-1A eligibility and application overview
List the work that remains abroad
Hypothetical example: the applicant would oversee the U.S. operation but still approve Canadian staffing and resolve daily customer issues. Explain the actual responsibilities and who supports each operation. Do not omit retained work merely because it makes the proposed timetable more complicated.
Identify the authority in each role
Explain decisions, reporting relationships and limits separately for the Canadian and U.S. responsibilities. Describe what the applicant primarily does in the proposed position and who performs operational work. A broad group title should not blur distinct roles or conceal routine delivery. Hypothetical example: The microfilm-conservation manager would relocate after supervising Canadian scanning teams. The factual choice is whether the U.S. assignment mainly directs the unit or still delivers most customer digitization. Read the job description alongside the reporting map, recruitment budget, project allocations, and examples of approval authority. If projected hires lack approval or funding, the record must expose that uncertainty rather than conceal it.
Document the support and qualifying entities
Identify actual supporting personnel or arrangements and the relevant legal employers. Provide evidence of the qualifying relationship rather than relying on shared management alone. If a new office is involved, assess how it would support the qualifying role within one year on the actual operating plan. Separately identify the people who perform the day-to-day technical or clerical work. A decision-maker should be able to trace each claimed management responsibility to a team, a function, or an outside provider, and see what remains for the transferee after those tasks are allocated.
Review the employment and travel chronology
Prepare the relevant foreign-employment dates, duties and U.S. status history for individual timing assessment. The generally required continuous year within the relevant period should not be inferred from job titles alone. Explain proposed travel and work arrangements without assuming a corporate schedule establishes immigration permission.
Establish the qualifying foreign year and active organizations
The organizations need the qualifying relationship and regular, systematic, continuous business in the United States and at least one other country. Identify who selects suppliers, sets priorities and approves exceptions, and what decisions the applicant may make. US days do not count toward the foreign year, although travel does not automatically interrupt it. A US new office doing business under one year requires sufficient premises and support for the qualifying role within a year, with initial approval limited to one year. The petition should set out an organizational structure, describe who handles operational execution, and allocate the applicant's time honestly. L-1A has a seven-year maximum period of stay, so a proposed extension needs an early calculation of prior L time and any potentially recapturable absences. A decision log, organization chart, and role descriptions can answer different parts of that question without overstating a title.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-07. This guide covers a preparation focus; it is not an individual eligibility assessment.