Use the genuine operating plan to identify costs on both sides of the transfer.
Avoid an incomplete staffing forecast
Replacement support, US premises and application expenses answer different needs. A low government fee estimate does not show that the enterprise can sustain the proposed staffing arrangement.
Budget outward from the operating plan. Separate temporary foreign coverage, American payroll, premises, recruitment, preparation, travel, and government charges, recording who owes each amount and when. Confirm filing fees from the current official schedule. These expenses are not L-1A tests, yet implausibly thin staffing costs may contradict a claim that others perform routine work while the transferee manages. The case still requires a qualifying organizational relationship, continuing foreign business and either active U.S. business or, for a new office, the ability to commence it, a continuous eligible year abroad within the preceding three, and mainly managerial or executive duties. A new office needs premises and capacity to support the role within its one-year initial period; long-range planning should respect the seven-year maximum.
Hypothetical example: a North Hatley maker of cold-storage racking budgets only the petition and director’s airfare, although a contract foreperson must cover Canadian installation scheduling for six months. Its forecast should show that fee alongside American warehouse rent and planned wages. Listing coverage cost does not prove eligibility, but omitting it conflicts with the duty allocation. The owners should reconcile the budget with signed engagements before claiming the director will be free of operational tasks.