Read the general business expansion overview
A new-office L-1 petition is approved for one year and must show that sufficient physical premises have been secured and that the U.S. operation will support the managerial, executive or specialized-knowledge role within that year. A Quispamsis cybersecurity consultancy planning to send its founder to open a U.S. office on a month-to-month coworking pass is likely to fall short on premises, and its business plan must show real capacity, not ambition.
Secure premises that match the plan
Hypothetical example: a Quispamsis consultancy with eleven staff intends to open a U.S. office to serve existing American clients, and the founder has bought a hot-desk membership at a shared workspace. The petition must document physical space sufficient for the planned office. A dedicated office lease, even for a modest suite within a shared building, with a term matching the first year, is materially stronger than a membership that can be cancelled monthly and provides no assigned space. The lease should be in the U.S. entity's name, and the plan should explain how the space accommodates the staff the business intends to hire in year one.
Show the U.S. entity can support the role within a year
For an L-1A new office, the petition must show the financial ability to pay the executive and to begin operations, and a business plan demonstrating that within one year the U.S. operation will support a managerial or executive position. That means a hiring plan with roles, timing and cost; contracts or letters of intent from U.S. clients; a capitalization statement showing money already transferred into the U.S. entity's account; and financial statements of the Canadian parent. A founder who will personally deliver security assessments for the first year is doing specialized or professional work, so the plan should show when subordinate consultants will take that over.
Prepare the extension evidence from day one
The initial approval is limited to one year, and the extension will be assessed on what the U.S. office actually did. The company should keep, from the first month, records that map to the plan: hires made with payroll evidence, client contracts signed, revenue invoiced, the lease in force and the founder's organization chart as it grows. The qualifying relationship between the Canadian parent and the U.S. subsidiary, and the founder's own continuous year abroad within the three years before the petition, must be documented at filing and remain true at extension. An L-2 spouse is employment-authorized incident to status, which the founder's family may want to plan around.
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.