Read the general business expansion overview
An employment anniversary and a launch deadline may not describe the qualifying foreign year. Review the actual employment and travel chronology alongside the U.S. operation’s stage.
Use the individual foreign chronology
The general L rule requires a continuous full-time foreign year within the relevant preceding three years, in managerial, executive or specialized-knowledge capacity. U.S. days do not count, although brief visits need not interrupt continuity. A planned transfer date cannot waive the individual employment condition.
Apply the management launch requirements specifically
For new-office L-1A, the foreign year must be managerial or executive. The U.S. organization has less than one year of doing business, needs sufficient premises and must support the qualifying primarily managerial or executive role within one year of approval. First-line supervision of nonprofessionals alone is insufficient. An owner or major stockholder also needs temporary U.S. service and a subsequent foreign assignment. Initial new-office approval is limited to one year.
Keep operations and specialist conditions separate from tickets
The qualifying related group must regularly, systematically and continuously do business in the United States and at least one other country during the stay. L-1B requires actual specialized knowledge, and its new office needs premises and financial ability to pay the employee and begin business. Travel to an address cannot establish all those conditions, and incorporation age is not the new-office doing-business test.
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: 2026-09-08. General preparation guidance, not an individual assessment.