IN THIS GUIDE · Sequence a payroll-software company's transfer of its customer-success director
Start with the L-1A eligibility and application overview
First, confirm the relationship exists on paper
Hypothetical example: the U.S. subsidiary was set up two years ago and is wholly owned by the Canadian company. Obtain the Canadian share register, the U.S. stock ledger, both sets of incorporation documents and a chart showing the ownership line. If a venture-capital round has since introduced new shareholders in the parent, confirm the parent still controls the subsidiary; a qualifying relationship depends on ownership and control, and a financing round can change it without anyone noticing. Minutes, share registers, purchase records, and intercompany agreements should tell the same ownership story on the relevant dates. A late-created chart cannot replace records that show the relationship actually existed.
Second, prove the year and the managerial nature of it
The director has worked for the Canadian company for three years. Pull payroll records for the most recent continuous twelve months and the position descriptions for that period, showing that she managed the support and onboarding teams. Time spent in the United States on business trips does not break the year for short visits but is not counted toward it, so keep the travel log. Payroll, leave records, calendars, and reporting lines can establish both time abroad and the character of the role. Explain any break, promotion, or change of employer before it becomes an unexplained gap.
Third, define the U.S. role by what she will manage
In the U.S. subsidiary she will lead a team of nine, including two team leads, and control the support budget. Draft the job description around supervising professional staff, setting policy for customer onboarding and deciding on hiring. If instead she were to manage a function without subordinates, the petition would need to show the function is essential and that she operates at a senior level; a manager whose week is mostly answering tickets herself is not primarily managerial. Name the people, functions, budgets, or essential policies the transferee will direct. If hands-on work remains necessary, quantify it and show why it does not displace the claimed senior duties.
Fourth, file with both entities shown as operating
Include the Canadian company's recent invoices, payroll and financial statements, and the U.S. subsidiary's customer contracts, lease and payroll. The petition is filed by the U.S. subsidiary. Only after approval should the director's relocation and the U.S. lease on housing be finalized. The filing package should make it possible to follow revenue, personnel, premises, and management from source documents. Keep an update file after filing because a changed reporting line can matter at an extension.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-07. This guide covers a preparation focus; it is not an individual eligibility assessment.