Prior time in L status counts toward the seven-year maximum, so an earlier four-year assignment leaves roughly three years for the new one. A long stay abroad can also mean the qualifying year has to be re-established with the foreign entity before another petition can be filed.
The ceiling and the qualifying year both run on dates
Hypothetical example: Odile would begin an American assignment in September, having already spent four years in L-1A status on an earlier posting that ended two years ago. Two date-driven rules shape what is possible. The seven-year maximum for L-1A takes account of the time already used, so the new assignment cannot simply be planned as another full term, and any promise to the American entity should reflect the shorter horizon.
Separately, the qualifying year is measured within the three years before the petition is filed, so the two years since her return have to include one continuous year of qualifying employment with the Wickham company, which fortunately they do. Days spent physically outside the United States during an L assignment can sometimes be recaptured against the ceiling, but that depends on complete travel records and is a question for counsel rather than an assumption. Where the assignment is genuinely open-ended, the family should begin considering longer-term routes in the first year, not the sixth.
- USCIS: L-1A intracompany transferee executive or manager
- USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 2 Part L: intracompany transferees
- USCIS: L classification documentation and evidence
- eCFR: 8 CFR 214.2(l), intracompany transferees
- Department of State: 9 FAM 402.12, intracompany transferees
- USCIS: Form G-1055, fee schedule