Read the general business expansion overview
Hypothetical example: an Otonabee-South Monaghan manufacturer of livestock handling equipment forms a first United States subsidiary and sends its production manager to run it as an executive. A new-office L-1A petition is approved for one year only, and two requirements decide it: sufficient physical premises actually secured, and evidence that the enterprise will support an executive or managerial role within that year. Both are evidentiary questions, and both are far easier to satisfy if they are planned before the subsidiary is incorporated.
Sufficient physical premises means secured, and specific
The regulation requires evidence that sufficient physical premises to house the new office have been secured. For a manufacturer whose American operation will assemble, store and demonstrate equipment, that means a signed lease for a building with the right zoning, adequate yard space and loading access, not a letter of intent and not a shared mailing address. Include the lease itself, photographs, the floor plan, evidence of any deposit paid and utility accounts opened. Describe why the space suits the intended operation, since a reviewer who cannot picture the business cannot assess whether it will support the role.
Show the business can support an executive within one year
A new office petition is approved for one year, and the petition must show the proposed enterprise will support an executive or managerial position within that period. Financial capacity, a business plan and a staffing schedule carry this: the capital committed by the Canadian parent, purchase orders or distribution agreements already in place, the hiring plan naming the roles to be filled and when, and the organisational structure the manager will supervise once hiring is complete. A one-person operation for twelve months with no hires planned does not support an executive role and the petition should not claim otherwise.
Plan the extension before the first year begins
At the end of the year the company must apply to extend, and the extension is judged on what actually happened, not on what was projected. Decide at the outset what evidence will exist twelve months later: payroll records for the people hired, invoices and customer contracts, financial statements, and an organisation chart showing the manager supervising others. Set an internal review at the six-month mark so a shortfall can be corrected while there is still time. It is also worth deciding early whether the transferee's role is genuinely executive or managerial, or whether it is specialised knowledge, because a new office petition exists for both and the evidence differs.
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.