Read the general business expansion overview
A Central Saanich company should connect an outsourcing agreement to the work performed in support of its new US operation. A vendor’s promised scope is not always the same as actual operational coverage. The decision is what the vendor agreement must say before it is signed. A warehouse contract that promises service “as required” gives the officer nothing to weigh; one that states staffed hours, named deliverables and the manager’s right to set priorities, reject work and terminate shows a function being managed. Negotiate those clauses before drafting the petition.
Explain the applicant’s primary duties
L-1A requires primarily managerial or executive work. Identify remaining internal tasks and actual function support; first-line nonprofessional supervision does not qualify through a title alone.
Address the new-office proposal
Sufficient premises and support for the qualifying L-1A role within one year are required. L-1B needs qualifying knowledge, sufficient premises and financial ability to pay and commence business. Initial new-office approval is limited to one year.
Support the qualifying relationship and service
Document the continuous qualifying foreign employment year within the relevant three-year period and the organizational relationship, with continuing US and foreign business. Do not let a generic vendor promise stand in for the group’s actual operating evidence.
Hypothetical example: an equipment dealer whose only US staff are a warehouse vendor’s
Hypothetical example: a Central Saanich agricultural-equipment dealer sells irrigation controllers and orchard sprayers to growers and wants a US parts and service office. It proposes its parts-and-service manager for L-1A. The US plan hires no employees in year one: a third-party warehouse will receive, store and ship parts, a contracted bookkeeper will run invoicing, and two field technicians will be added in year two. The draft petition describes the manager as directing a function through vendors, which can qualify, but the first version of the warehouse contract reads like a price list with no commitment of hours or staff. The company reworks the arrangement before filing. The warehouse agreement now specifies dedicated receiving and pick-pack hours, a named account supervisor, weekly service reports, and the manager’s authority to set stocking priorities, reject damaged shipments and end the contract on notice. The bookkeeping engagement names the reports she approves. The lease for a small counter-and-training office is signed, the parent’s capital contribution is banked, and the year-two hiring is funded in the budget rather than merely hoped for.
Match each L-1 condition to its record
Whether a function is managed is decided by the vendor agreements and the manager’s written authority over the vendors’ output, together with her decisions recorded in service reports and approvals. Premises are decided by the signed lease, and capacity by the funded account and the twelve-month budget. The qualifying relationship is decided by the ownership documents linking the Canadian dealer to the US entity, and the qualifying year by the manager’s continuous twelve months on the Canadian payroll within the three years before filing. The group must keep doing business in both countries. Initial approval is one year, and total L-1A time is capped at seven years, L-1B at five.
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.