Read the general pathway comparison overview
An applicant comparing a company transfer with treaty investment should explain the authority involved in each actual arrangement. An employment reporting line and ownership-based direction are not the same evidence.
Describe the proposed company role
Hypothetical example: a manager reports through a matrix structure while considering an acquisition. L-1 needs qualifying organizations, relevant foreign employment and an eligible managerial, executive or specialized-knowledge assignment. A complex chart does not itself establish the role.
Describe the investment arrangement independently
E-2 needs qualifying treaty nationality, generally at least 50% relevant treaty-national enterprise ownership, substantial lawful capital committed at risk and a real nonmarginal enterprise the principal develops and directs. Read actual ownership and financing terms rather than borrowing authority from an unrelated employment role.
Keep the alternatives factually complete
Identify which documents belong to each proposal and which conditions remain unresolved. Do not combine a company’s established staff with an unrelated acquisition’s revenue to present an operation that does not exist. Actual permission must support the activity ultimately pursued.
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?How should an owner compare L-1 and E-2?Editorial source review: 2026-09-07. General preparation guidance, not an individual assessment.