Read the general business expansion overview
A new-office L-1 petition lets a company that has been doing business in the United States for less than a year send a manager, executive or specialized-knowledge employee to establish operations. It is approved for one year, on evidence of secured premises, financial ability to start operations and pay the transferee, and a plan under which a managerial role will exist within the year. The extension is where the plan meets payroll records. A company should write the initial petition as the first half of the extension.
Build the U.S. entity into something that exists before filing
Hypothetical example: a Sainte-Brigitte-de-Laval frozen-bakery manufacturer supplying Québec grocers wants a U.S. distribution office to serve northeastern retailers it has already signed. Before any petition the company must incorporate or acquire a U.S. subsidiary owned by the Québec company, so the qualifying relationship is documented; sign a lease for a warehouse and office adequate for the planned staff, since a shared desk or a mailbox does not satisfy the premises requirement; capitalize the subsidiary with a documented transfer from the parent; open a bank account; and obtain the registrations a food distributor needs. Attach the retailer contracts as evidence of real demand. The petition presents these as a business already in motion, and the more of the set-up that is complete at filing, the less the case depends on promises.
Write the business plan against the extension criteria
At the extension, USCIS expects evidence that the U.S. entity has been doing business for the year, its financial status, the number of employees, the transferee's duties and evidence the position is managerial or executive, or specialized-knowledge, as claimed. Draft the initial plan to produce exactly that evidence: named positions to be hired in the first year with target dates and salaries, revenue projections tied to the signed retailer contracts, the capital the parent will commit, and a description of how the transferee's duties will shift from establishing the office to directing staff. If the transferee is the Québec sales director, the plan should show her managing a U.S. sales and logistics team rather than personally driving deliveries by month twelve. A modest plan that is met is stronger at extension than an ambitious one that is not.
Choose the transferee for the qualifying year and keep the family flexible
The transferee needs one continuous year of managerial, executive or specialized-knowledge employment with the Québec company in the past three years, evidenced by payroll records and a description of that role. Time she spent in the United States on sales trips does not count toward the year, so tally travel records. If the founder is proposed, the petition must show the Québec plant will continue under other management, since both entities must remain active. On the family side, the L-2 spouse may work incident to status and children may study, but the initial period is one year, and the household should keep Québec housing and schooling arrangements reversible until the extension is approved. Time in L-1 counts toward the seven-year L-1A or five-year L-1B maximum 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.