IN THIS GUIDE · Sequence the lease, the hires and the petition so the Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures distribution director's L-1A rests on real evidence
Start with the L-1A eligibility and application overview
Fix the order of the corporate steps
Form or acquire the U.S. entity first and document its ownership so the parent, subsidiary or affiliate relationship is visible on paper. Sign the facility lease second, because a new-office petition needs secured physical premises, not a letter of intent. Only then draft the petition. Companies that file on the strength of a term sheet and a promise to incorporate later are filing before the facts exist, and the petition reflects that.
Describe the U.S. role as decisions and staff
Write the proposed duties as things the director will decide: hiring the shift supervisors, setting carrier contracts, approving the operating budget, and reporting to the Québec executive team. Name the positions that will report to him and when each is expected to be filled. A managerial role in a facility with no staff for the first months is still assessable if the plan shows how the operation reaches a state that supports it within the year.
Prove the year abroad from the payroll, not the résumé
Pull three years of Québec payroll records and the employment contract showing the employer's legal name. If the company reorganized or renamed itself during that time, gather the articles of amendment so the year can be traced through the change. Any earlier stint he spent in the United States for the company does not count toward the foreign year and needs to be identified.
Plan for the extension from the first day
A new-office L-1A is approved for one year. The extension will be judged on what the cross-dock actually became: leases, hires, freight volume and organization charts as they existed, not as forecast. Keep monthly records from opening day so the second petition is a report on an operation rather than a revised prediction, and note the seven-year overall limit for L-1A when the household plans further ahead.
Managing people and managing a function are different claims
The L definition of doing business concerns regular, systematic and continuous provision of goods or services, not simply having an agent or office. Executive duties involve directing management, establishing goals and policies and exercising wide latitude in decision-making. Managing a function rather than staff is possible, but the file must then identify the function, the professional or supervisory employees involved, and the discretion exercised.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-07. This guide covers a preparation focus; it is not an individual eligibility assessment.