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KITCHENER · L-1B FIELD GUIDE

Can a planned knowledge-transfer schedule establish permission to travel for work?

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THE DIRECT ANSWER

No. The schedule is a business plan, not authorization. Review the actual U.S. activity and required process before relying on it.

Identify changes to the assignment

If duties, location or supervision change, assess the actual arrangement. A training calendar does not automatically cover every activity performed during the trip.

Keep the actual approval and status dates visible throughout, and do not treat a client delivery deadline as permission to begin work whose immigration basis has not actually been resolved. What the timeline has to show is a continuous qualifying year abroad falling inside the relevant preceding three years measured against the proposed assignment, together with the knowledge the role requires at the point the person would start. When the employee will be stationed primarily at an unaffiliated worksite, the petitioner must retain principal control and supervision, and the placement must provide a petitioner-specific product or service requiring specialized knowledge rather than labour for hire. A longer stay at the same worksite doing the same duties raises different questions from a move to a client site the employer does not control, or from duties that drift toward work outside the specialized knowledge described.