Where the American entity has been doing business for less than a year the initial approval runs for one year, and after that extensions are granted on the record of what the operation actually did. The overall limit for this classification is seven years, and any earlier time in the specialized-knowledge classification counts toward it.
Plan the first twelve months as the evidence for the next
A new-office approval is best understood as a period in which to create the proof that the extension will require. Premises have to be occupied rather than merely leased, the hiring plan has to produce actual employees, payroll has to run, and the operation has to trade. An extension request supported by a lease, a bank account and an unchanged headcount of one is the standard way these plans fail in year two.
Where the American plant is already operating, the initial period is longer and the pressure is different, but the ceiling still applies. Time spent outside the United States can sometimes be recaptured, which matters for a manager who commutes, so travel records are worth keeping from the first entry. Households that intend to stay permanently usually begin considering an immigrant route well before the seventh year, because starting that conversation at the ceiling leaves no room.