Read the general business expansion overview
A new-office function-manager proposal should explain the operation behind the role. The title alone does not show who will perform the function’s daily tasks while the transferee manages it.
Define the function and its operating support
Explain the specific essential function, senior authority and actual execution arrangements. Hypothetical example: several teams perform tasks while the transferee directs the function. Identify that division honestly. A function manager must primarily manage rather than perform the function; direct-report numbers alone do not decide the case.
Use the actual new-office requirements
The new-office framework concerns an organization doing business in the United States for less than one year. L-1A requires sufficient premises, qualifying foreign managerial or executive employment and an operation supporting the qualifying role within one year of approval. Initial new-office approval is limited to one year.
Keep the transfer evidence complete
The qualifying relationship and continuing U.S. and foreign business remain necessary. Owner or major-stockholder cases also require the applicable temporary-service and subsequent foreign-assignment evidence. L-1B has distinct specialized-knowledge and financial-ability requirements; do not import the function-manager test into that category. The qualifying foreign employment generally must be one continuous full-time year within the relevant preceding three years. Its capacity may be managerial, executive or specialized knowledge under the ordinary L rule; the proposed U.S. role has its own category test. Brief U.S. trips do not necessarily interrupt continuity, but U.S. days do not count toward the foreign year. New-office L-1B requires sufficient premises and financial ability to pay the employee and begin doing business, alongside qualifying specialized knowledge.
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.