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FOR BUSINESS LEADERS · COALHURSTCoalhurst

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A hypothetical Lethbridge company wants to transfer a supervisor to lead its US operation. The supervisor has responsibility for several frontline workers but also performs much of their daily work. L-1A requires a careful analysis of primarily managerial or executive duties; supervising a team is relevant, but the title and headcount do not alone establish the classification. The maximum L-1A period is generally seven years. Start by mapping who makes policy, who manages people or an essential function, and who performs the operational output. The transferee must have completed one qualifying continuous year of employment abroad during the preceding three years. L-1A time is limited to a seven-year maximum, so earlier admissions and time already spent in the category should be collected before a transfer is promised. This analysis should be repeated whenever the operating model changes materially.

Talk about L-1A
PurposeExecutive or managerial transfer
Company linkQualifying related businesses
New officeA distinct evidence requirement
01

Examine what the supervisor manages

Identify the employees’ roles and whether the proposed position satisfies the applicable managerial definition. First-line supervision of nonprofessional employees does not qualify merely because the applicant supervises them. A supported function-manager analysis, if applicable, has its own requirements. A first review should compare the proposed role with calendar, delegation, and approval records, not merely with a polished job description prepared for the petition.

02

Identify who delivers the service

Show how operational tasks are allocated and what authority the transferee exercises. Explain the organization’s reasonable needs without treating small size as an automatic bar or an exemption from the duties standard. A plan that assigns every task to the transferee deserves close review. List the recurring hands-on tasks and the employees, contractors, or systems that will do them. This exposes whether management is primary rather than aspirational.

03

Prove the foreign employment

Establish one continuous year of qualifying employment abroad within the three years before the petition and the capacity actually served. Use dated employment, payroll and role evidence. A new US title does not change the historical nature of the foreign position. Payroll, tax records, dated job descriptions, and supervisor evidence can settle the foreign-employment period. Gaps should be explained from source records, not reconstructed from memory.

04

Complete the corporate evidence

Document the parent, branch, subsidiary or affiliate relationship and show that both the U.S. and foreign entities are actively doing business. A new-office petition requires secured physical premises and evidence that the operation can support the managerial or executive role within one year; its initial approval is limited to one year. Incorporation alone does not show ongoing business activity. Trace ownership through each entity and show both organizations are doing business. For a new office, distinguish secured facts from forecasts and retain the budget supporting the first year.

SOURCES FOR THIS GUIDE

Sources reviewed 2026-09-07. This guide covers a preparation focus; it is not an individual eligibility assessment.

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Guides for your next decision.

Applicant planning

Keep an L-1A new-office record from approval to extension

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L-1A · COALHURST

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