Approved after one RFE response
Managerial evidence rebuilt
L-1A New Office
Background
Ms. L planned to come to the U.S. on an L-1A to serve as CEO of her company's newly established U.S. subsidiary, leading the U.S. launch of its luxury resale business.
Challenges
- Her overseas managerial evidence was called "too general." In the pre-owned luxury industry, what many clients actually did before can easily be seen by USCIS as operational work rather than a managerial or executive role. Ms. L's original overseas employment letter also lacked specifics on her daily managerial duties and time allocation, and her authority over hiring, firing, and performance reviews had little supporting evidence.
- The new office category is reviewed more strictly. Compared with a routine extension, an L-1A new office petition requires stronger proof of company size, organizational structure, and the need for a manager.
- If she was denied, the whole family would be affected. Ms. L's husband and child were applying for L-2 status alongside her, so a denial of her L-1A would have left the whole family without status.
Strategy
- We went through every piece of existing evidence against the legal definition of a managerial or executive role, and picked out the evidence from her actual work in China that truly fit the definition of a managerial position.
- We rebuilt her overseas employment letter, breaking down her daily managerial duties and time allocation and spelling out her supervision of her team, performance reviews, and authority over personnel decisions.
- We added an org chart, supplier collaboration documents, and other supporting evidence to form a complete chain that answered USCIS's "insufficient evidence" concern head on.
Case Timeline
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| May 15, 2026 | I-129 filed (premium processing) |
| June 5, 2026 | RFE received, asking for more evidence of the overseas managerial role |
| July 27, 2026 | RFE response filed |
| August 14, 2026 | Approved; L-1A valid until August 13, 2027 |
Closing Note
From evidence called "too general" to a complete chain approved after one response, Ms. L's case shows again that the key to an L-1A new office case is never "did you manage?" but "can you explain the management clearly and prove it?"
Outcome
Approved after one RFE response; L-1A status valid until August 13, 2027.