A company launching a US operation may need information held by former advisers or providers. Begin with the qualifying relationship, business activity, foreign employment and proposed role. A focused request can distinguish essential evidence from an unnecessary archive search. Hypothetical example: a foreign marine-safety equipment company secures a small U.S. workshop for a proposed operations manager. The decision is whether the qualifying relationship, continuous foreign year, premises, funding, staffing plan, and first-year role are documented; projections must show capacity to support the claimed role before the one-year new-office approval expires.
Separate historical and current evidence
Hypothetical example: a Cape Breton Regional Municipality company planning a U.S. launch must recover historical ownership records from former advisers. Identify what happened, when it happened and who has reliable records. A current explanation can clarify history without pretending to be contemporaneous. Do not backdate a chart or reconstruct fictional ownership documents. E-2 needs treaty nationality, real operating enterprise, substantial funds irrevocably committed and at risk, direction or control, and a nonmarginal business. Build an evidence index with issue, issuer, date, and remaining gap. Preserve complete authentic records and revise the analysis after any material fact changes. Commercial urgency does not amend the condition.
Establish the US operation accurately
A new-office petition requires sufficient physical premises and evidence that the operation can support the proposed role; initial approval is limited to one year. The filing must also establish one continuous year of qualifying employment abroad within the three years before the petition, a parent, branch, subsidiary or affiliate relationship, and active business by both entities. Incorporation alone does not establish those facts. E-2 needs treaty nationality, real operating enterprise, substantial funds irrevocably committed and at risk, direction or control, and a nonmarginal business. Build an evidence index with issue, issuer, date, and remaining gap. Preserve complete authentic records and revise the analysis after any material fact changes. Commercial urgency does not amend the condition.
Explain support for the proposed role
For L-1A, identify how the operation will support qualifying managerial or executive duties within the applicable period. Show who performs routine tasks and retain actual progress records. An initial approval is not a guarantee of extension. A new-office petition receives initial approval for one year and requires sufficient premises plus capacity to support the qualifying role. L-1A and L-1B status are capped at seven and five years respectively. E-2 needs treaty nationality, real operating enterprise, substantial funds irrevocably committed and at risk, direction or control, and a nonmarginal business. Build an evidence index with issue, issuer, date, and remaining gap. Preserve complete authentic records and revise the analysis after any material fact changes. Commercial urgency does not amend the condition.
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.