Read the general business expansion overview
An L new-office proposal involves different employment and operating timelines. Identify what each period measures rather than using one anniversary to answer unrelated requirements.
Establish qualifying history and actual business activity
Hypothetical example: a transferee’s employment chronology and the U.S. organization’s launch have different dates. Generally establish one continuous qualifying foreign employment year within the relevant preceding three years. A new office concerns a U.S. organization doing business for less than one year; registration alone does not establish regular, systematic and continuous goods or services. The qualifying foreign employment must be full-time; U.S. days are excluded from that year, although brief visits do not automatically break continuity.
Apply the role-specific launch conditions
L-1A needs sufficient premises, qualifying foreign managerial or executive employment and capacity to support the intended U.S. managerial or executive role within one year of approval. L-1B needs qualifying specialized knowledge, sufficient premises and financial ability to pay the employee and begin doing business. Training hours or staff totals do not replace those different standards.
Track actual later evidence
Initial new-office approval is limited to at most one year. Record actual operations, staffing and duties for later assessment. A plan’s calendar does not itself establish extension eligibility, and the organization’s incorporation anniversary is not a universal substitute for relevant immigration dates.
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.