Read the general business expansion overview
Hypothetical example: a Lake Country geotechnical and engineering consultancy wants to open its first US office in Washington, staffed by a founding partner who will build the practice there. A new-office L-1A petition is approved for one year and must show that premises have been secured, that the US entity is properly related to the Canadian firm, and that within the year the office will support a genuinely managerial or executive role. Rather than list documents, this guide gives the partner the questions to put to three advisers, because the answers become the petition.
Ask the landlord for a lease that reads as an office
USCIS expects sufficient physical premises to have been secured. The partner should ask the landlord for a lease in the name of the US entity, for a term long enough to cover the first year and beyond, for a use clause permitting professional engineering offices, and for space that can hold the staff the business plan says will be hired. A month-to-month desk in a shared workspace may be accepted for a small consultancy but invites questions; a lease for identifiable rooms with a floor plan is stronger. Ask also for the landlord's confirmation letter and photographs after fit-out. If the firm intends to open a soils laboratory later, say so in the plan but do not pretend it exists now.
Ask the accountant to build a year that ends in a manager's job
The core new-office question is whether, within one year, the office will be large enough to support the partner in a role that is primarily managerial or executive rather than hands-on engineering. Ask the accountant for a staffing plan by quarter showing the hiring of project engineers, a technician and administrative support, a revenue projection tied to identifiable prospective clients, and evidence of the Canadian firm's ability to fund the office through capital contributions or intercompany loans. The plan should be candid: the partner will do technical work at first, but the trajectory must reach management. At extension time, USCIS will compare the plan with what actually happened, so make it achievable.
Ask the lawyer to confirm the structure and the partner's history
The US entity should be a subsidiary or affiliate of the Lake Country firm through ownership and control that can be shown with share registers; a partnership interest held personally by the transferring partner in both firms may qualify as an affiliate but needs explanation. For this L-1A new-office petition, the partner must have worked for the qualifying Canadian organization continuously for one year within the prior three in a managerial or executive capacity, not merely in specialized knowledge. The Canadian operation must continue doing business and the US office must commence and continue doing business while the qualifying relationship remains. Ask the lawyer to check separate state engineering licensing and plan the one-year extension evidence from the start. L-1A is capped at seven years; the spouse may work incident to L-2 status, while children may study but not work.
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.