Only once a continuous year of qualifying employment has actually been completed within the preceding three years. The year is measured at filing, so a petition filed a month early fails on that point alone.
Count the year first, then set the transfer date
The one-year requirement is tested when the petition is filed, not when the transfer is meant to begin. If the manager's most recent unbroken period started after a winter recall, count forward twelve months from the recall date, and do not file before it. Time spent in the United States working for the same group does not count toward the year abroad, so a manager who has already been commuting to help the U.S.
dealership should have those days examined and, if needed, excluded. After filing, ordinary processing takes months and premium processing shortens it; plan the U.S. start date from the expected approval, not from the dealership's busy season.
The L-1A ceiling of seven years runs from the first admission, so a transfer that starts later does not lose time, but a petition filed too early can cost a fee and a denial that must be explained in the next attempt.