That depends on the actual qualifying relationship and role, not simply the planned closing date. Present both current and proposed structures for legal assessment before choosing the sequence.
Keep effective dates visible
Identify which documents establish the current relationship and when any new agreement takes effect. Review whether the proposal changes before filing or travel. For a new office, retain the first-year operating evidence and actual status dates. A future governance event should not be treated as completed merely to align with a desired move date.
The foreign payroll evidence must cover one continuous year of full-time qualifying employment falling inside the three years before filing, and that window closes with time, so a transferee who has already spent months working in the United States should have the count checked early. The second block is preparation and filing: the business plan, the organization chart with hiring dates, the ownership chain, and the petition itself, with premium processing available if the company wants a faster decision. For a new office, the initial period lasts one year, the filing must show sufficient premises and financial ability to remunerate the beneficiary and commence doing business, and the business must develop enough to sustain qualifying management; the L-1A limit is seven years.