Update the account and assess the actual role and case stage.
Use performance rather than the old forecast
Identify ongoing duties and operational support. A first-year plan should not be treated as accomplished merely because the anticipated date passed. The general maximum stay in L-1A status is seven years.
The qualifying parent-subsidiary relationship must exist when the petition is filed, the twelve months of qualifying employment abroad must be complete, and the evidence must show that the U.S. role will be primarily executive rather than operational. Occupancy of the premises, the first hires, the point at which operational duties transfer, and the review before the initial one-year period ends. What matters at the extension stage is the operation that actually developed — a later forecast cannot substitute for that record, and a business deadline does not extend an authorized period of stay. Build a timeline from the actual foreign employment dates, corporate changes, U.S. launch date and intended assignment. Establish one continuous full-time qualifying foreign year within the relevant preceding three years and determine the U.S. business stage before applying the ordinary rule. In a new-office case, the initial year and extension evidence must reflect actual operations rather than a restarted timetable chosen for convenience. After approval, plan extensions early enough to document continuing business and managerial duties, while tracking the seven-year L-1A maximum.