Read the general business expansion overview
Hypothetical example: a Quinte West aircraft-interiors refurbishment company wins US customers and wants to send its production director to open a facility in a leased hangar bay. New-office L-1A petitions are approved for one year only, and the petition is vulnerable if the lease is not yet signed, the business plan does not show how the office will support a managerial role within a year, or the director will spend the year doing the upholstery herself. Each of these is avoidable if the petition is built after the premises and the staffing plan are real.
Secure the premises before filing, not after
A new-office petition must show that sufficient physical premises to house the new office have been secured. A letter of intent for a hangar bay is not a secured premises; an executed lease, or a purchase, is. Because refurbishment work needs floor space, tooling and possibly environmental permits, the lease should match the intended activity, and the file should include the lease, photographs, a floor plan and any permits applied for. The Canadian company should also show it has been doing business for at least a year and will continue to, and that the US entity is its subsidiary, branch or affiliate through the corporate records.
Show that the office will support a manager within a year
The petition must demonstrate that the US operation will, within one year, support an executive or managerial position. That is proved with a business plan that includes the size of the investment, the organizational structure, financial goals and a hiring schedule. For an interiors shop that means showing when the first technicians, a shop lead and an administrator will be hired, so that by month twelve the production director is directing supervisors or managing an essential function rather than trimming leather. The director's own qualifying year abroad in a managerial or executive role must also be documented, along with proof that the Canadian company is financially able to pay her and fund the start-up.
Prepare for the one-year extension from day one
The initial approval is for one year, and the extension requires evidence that the office is doing business, meaning regular, systematic and continuous provision of goods or services, and that the position has become managerial. Keep the payroll records, contracts, invoices, the organizational chart as it evolves and the director's own calendar showing management activity. If hiring slips because customers are slow to release aircraft, record why and how the plan was adjusted. A file that shows a real operation with fewer employees than planned can succeed; a file that shows a manager doing all the work with no staff and no explanation usually cannot. The seven-year L-1A maximum runs from the first admission, including the new-office year.
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.