Earlier than for a first-time transferee. Reconstructing prior status and time abroad can take weeks and depends on third parties, and the result may change the shape of the assignment. Begin the record-gathering before the business decision is final rather than after a start date has been promised.
Let the records set the date, not the other way round
The realistic sequence is: establish how much time exists, then decide what assignment fits it, then build the petition. Reversing that order produces the familiar situation where a role has been announced internally, a successor has been appointed in Canada, and only then does the analysis show that the available period is shorter than the plan required. Third-party delays dominate the schedule — a former employer's records team, a government entry-history request, an institution confirming employment dates. Petition processing time is a further variable and should be checked against current published times rather than assumed from experience a few years old. Where timing is tight, a licensed adviser can advise on whether premium handling or an alternative category is worth considering.
Treat the qualifying-employment calculation as the first dependency, followed by corporate proof and then the proposed U.S. role. A start date announced before that work may create pressure to describe an assignment more broadly than the records support. The key records are dated payroll, employment letters, admission history, and ownership documents. L-1A generally calls for twelve continuous foreign months in the relevant three-year period and permits no more than seven years in the category. Hypothetical example: A museum-exhibit fabricator needs its general manager for a contract opening. The correct decision is whether the evidence can support the transfer now, rather than assuming expedited handling can replace a missing foreign-employment month.