IN THIS GUIDE · Manage a function or manage people: what a L'Ancienne-Lorette parts distributor's general manager must show for L-1A
Start with the L-1A eligibility and application overview
Decide whether he manages people or a function
A manager under L-1A may supervise professional or managerial staff, or may manage an essential function of the organization. With two warehouse staff and one salesperson, the people-management argument is thin, because those positions are not professional or supervisory. The function-management argument may be stronger: he would control the subsidiary's purchasing authority, supplier contracts, pricing and inventory policy for regulated aviation parts, which is an essential function whether or not he has many subordinates. Choose the argument that matches the truth and document it accordingly.
Prove the year abroad and the corporate link
Nine years with the Québec distributor comfortably exceeds the continuous year, but payroll records for the last three years should still be produced under the employer's legal name. The subsidiary relationship is proved by the U.S. entity's share ledger showing the Québec company as owner, both entities' formation documents, and evidence that both are trading: the subsidiary's recent sales and payroll, the parent's financial statements and headcount.
Describe the U.S. week honestly
List what he will do: negotiating with distributors and airlines, approving purchases above a threshold, setting margins, hiring a replacement salesperson, ensuring regulatory traceability of parts, and reporting to the Québec board. Then list what he will not do: picking, packing, routine invoicing. If the truthful list has him spending most days on the warehouse floor, the role is not primarily managerial and the petition should not say it is.
Plan for what happens after the crisis
The vacancy is urgent, but L-1A is capped at seven years and the household may want permanent residence. Raise that at the start, and keep monthly records of his decisions and the subsidiary's growth, since any extension will be judged on what the operation became. If the plan is to hire a local general manager within a year and bring him home, the petition should describe that duration truthfully.
Executive capacity is about authority, not headcount
An executive directs the management of the organisation or a major component of it, sets the goals and policies for that component, and answers only to broad supervision. Doing business means the regular, systematic and continuous provision of goods or services, so a dormant American shell that has been holding land since the purchase will not satisfy it. Executive capacity is a further alternative again, resting on direction of the organization or a major component with wide latitude in discretionary decision-making.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-07. This guide covers a preparation focus; it is not an individual eligibility assessment.