An established U.S. entity can request up to three years initially, with extensions in increments of up to two years to a maximum of seven years in L-1A status. A new office would instead be limited to one year at first.
Count the cap from the first day, including earlier U.S. time
Hypothetical example: the U.S. warehouse has been operating for four years with its own lease and staff, so the petition is not a new-office case and an initial period of up to three years may be requested. Extensions may follow in increments of up to two years, but the total time in L-1A status cannot exceed seven years, and earlier periods spent in the United States in L or H status count toward that limit. Ask the manager for a complete travel and status history so the remaining time can be calculated before any long-term commitment is made. If the company were opening a new site instead, the first approval would cover only one year and the extension would require evidence that the office had grown enough to support a managerial role. Plan the manager's start date around USCIS processing time, or premium processing if the company pays for it.
Hypothetical example: a marine-refrigeration executive has six weeks left on a customer expansion plan, but the foreign payroll shows a three-month unpaid leave during the relevant period. First map every day of foreign employment and the reason for each absence, then obtain leave approvals and payroll records. The documents may show qualifying continuity or may require a later filing date; guessing creates avoidable risk. After the initial approval, track time already spent in L classification because L-1A generally reaches a seven-year maximum. The decision is whether the commercial launch can wait for a supportable filing or whether another manager should handle it temporarily. A compressed business deadline cannot replace the statutory employment history.