Read the general business expansion overview
Hypothetical example: a Bécancour supplier of process equipment wins a service contract with a U.S. plant and wants its Canadian service manager to open a small U.S. office nearby. A new-office L-1A petition requires secured physical premises, a plan showing the office will support a managerial position within one year and proof the U.S. entity is owned by the Canadian company. Approval is limited to one year, and the extension turns on evidence the office is actually doing business by then.
Form the entity and sign the lease first
The petition cannot be filed on intentions. Incorporate or register the U.S. subsidiary, open its bank account, capitalize it with a documented transfer from the Canadian parent and sign a lease for premises suited to the work: an office with a small warehouse bay for spare parts is credible; a virtual mailbox is not. Collect the documents that establish the qualifying relationship, usually the U.S. entity's share register showing the Canadian company as owner and the parent's own corporate records. The customer's service contract is useful evidence that the office will have revenue from day one, but it does not create the corporate relationship and should not be presented as if it did.
Show the manager will manage within a year
For L-1A, the U.S. position must become primarily managerial or executive. In a new office the manager may do hands-on service work at first, but the business plan must show hiring of technicians and administrative staff on a realistic schedule so that, by the first extension, the manager directs people or a function rather than performing the service calls himself. Include the staffing plan with dates and salaries, the financial projection tied to the signed contract and pipeline, and the organizational chart as it will look at month twelve. The Canadian manager's own history needs one continuous year abroad in a managerial or executive capacity within the last three years, documented through the parent's org charts and duty statements.
Prepare for the one-year extension from day one
New-office approval is for one year. The extension petition must show the office is doing business: invoices, payroll records, tax filings, the lease still in force, staff actually hired and the manager's duties now managerial. Keep a monthly file from the first week so the extension is assembled from records rather than reconstructed. If the customer's plant delays the service contract or the office cannot hire as planned, the extension may fail even though the manager's own record is spotless; the office's performance is the evidence. The L-2 spouse may work during the year, which can ease the family's finances while the office grows, but children may not. Total L-1A time remains limited to seven years, counted from the first admission.
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.