Intracompany · document checklist
L-1A document checklist
L-1A carries the highest RFE rate of any major employment classification. Three elements must each be independently documented: a qualifying corporate relationship between the foreign and US entities, one continuous year of qualifying employment abroad within the preceding three years, and managerial or executive capacity in both the foreign and US roles. New office petitions add a fourth burden — evidence the US entity will support a managerial role within one year.
Governing standard
Qualifying relationship, one continuous year abroad, managerial or executive capacity
8 CFR 214.2(l)(1)(ii)(A)–(C)
Top RFE trigger: Organisational chart without headcount; duties read as operational
Criteria and evidence mapping- Documents listed
- 14
- Always required
- 10
- Median exhibit pages
- 195
- Initial RFE rate
- 32.6%
The checklist
Grouped by the purpose each document serves.
Documents marked as always required belong in every filing of this type. The rest apply where the fact pattern calls for them.
Corporate relationship
4 required of 4
Ownership and control chart
Showing percentage ownership at every tier
Share certificates and share register
For both entities, translated where required
Audited financial statements
Two most recent years for both entities
Incorporation documents
Certificates and constitutional documents
Qualifying employment abroad
3 required of 4
Foreign payroll records
Covering the full qualifying year, month by month
Foreign tax filingswhere applicable
Corroborating the payroll record
Foreign employment letter
Duties, dates, headcount managed and reporting line
Travel history
Passport stamps and I-94s establishing time outside the US
Capacity evidence
3 required of 3
Foreign and US organisational charts
With names, titles and headcount at each level
Subordinate job descriptions
Establishing that subordinates are professional or supervisory
Duty breakdown with time allocation
Separating managerial from operational duties
New office petitions
0 required of 3
Business planwhere applicable
Financial projections, staffing plan and market analysis
Premises leasewhere applicable
Sufficient physical space for the projected operation
Evidence of capitalisationwhere applicable
Funds transferred and available to the US entity
This page prints cleanly — use it as a client-facing document request list.
Failure modes
What draws a request on a L-1A.
Having every document on the list is necessary and not sufficient. These are the structural problems that produce requests even when the evidence is present.
Full RFE trends hub- Organisational chart with no headcount or with unnamed positions
- Duty descriptions that are operational rather than managerial
- Payroll gaps inside the qualifying year abroad
- Ownership chart that does not reconcile to the share register
- New office petition with a business plan that does not support a manager within one year
Also intracompany
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