Last reviewed October 7, 2026 · By the NYBACS advisory team
Short answer
A corporate-services firm can prepare and organize the business side of an L-1 case — US entity formation, ownership records, bookkeeping, financial statements, payroll set-up, business-plan financials and evidence indexing — while a licensed US immigration attorney decides eligibility, chooses the strategy, prepares and files Form I-129, represents the company before USCIS and answers RFEs. The two roles are complementary: the attorney's arguments depend on the quality of the business records.
Key takeaways
- Only licensed attorneys and certain accredited representatives may represent a petitioner before USCIS; business advisers cannot sign as representative or give immigration legal advice.
- NYBACS works on the corporate, accounting and documentation inputs, and does not assess visa eligibility, prepare Form I-129 or argue RFE responses.
- NYBACS can work with an attorney you have already engaged, or coordinate with an independent licensed attorney you choose to retain.
- Most L-1 evidence — ownership records, tax returns, payroll, financial statements, leases, business plans — originates in the company's own books and corporate file.
- Support continues after approval, because new-office extensions and later green card petitions depend on a year or more of clean operating records.
Who does what in an L-1 matter
| Task | NYBACS | Immigration attorney | Your company |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assess L-1 eligibility and choose L-1A, L-1B or another route | — | Leads | Provides facts |
| Recommend corporate structure for immigration purposes | Implements the agreed structure | Advises | Approves |
| Form the US entity, EIN, registered agent, state registrations | Leads | Reviews | Signs |
| Stock ledger, minutes, resolutions, capitalization records | Prepares | Reviews | Signs and funds |
| Bookkeeping, financial statements, payroll set-up | Leads | Uses as evidence | Provides source data |
| Business-plan financial model and staffing timeline | Prepares financial inputs | Shapes the plan's legal narrative | Validates assumptions |
| Evidence index and document collection | Organizes business documents | Decides what is filed and how | Supplies records |
| Form I-129, support letter, legal brief | — | Prepares and files | Signs as petitioner |
| RFE response | Gathers business evidence requested | Prepares the legal response | Reviews |
| Visa interview preparation | — | Advises | Employee attends |
What we deliberately do not do
Clear boundaries protect the client. NYBACS is not a law firm and does not:
- tell you whether an employee qualifies for L-1A or L-1B, or whether L-1 is the right category;
- draft or file Form I-129, the employer support letter or legal arguments;
- file a notice of appearance or communicate with USCIS or a consulate as your representative;
- predict or promise an outcome or processing time;
- advise on status maintenance, travel during pending cases or green card strategy.
When these questions arise during our work, we route them to your immigration attorney. USCIS itself warns businesses to use authorized legal service providers — licensed attorneys or accredited representatives of recognized organizations — for immigration legal help.
How the collaboration usually runs
- Kick-off. We review the group structure, the US entity's status and the state of the books, and share a short gap list with you and your attorney.
- Attorney's evidence list. Your attorney sets the strategy and tells us which business documents they need and in what form.
- Preparation. We form or tidy the US entity, complete corporate records, bring bookkeeping current, prepare financial statements and build the business-plan financial model and organization charts from real data.
- Collection from abroad. We work with the foreign company's accountants to obtain translated tax returns, payroll records and registry documents.
- Consistency check. Before handover, we cross-check names, numbers, dates and ownership percentages across every business document.
- Handover and follow-up. The attorney files; if an RFE arrives, we turn around the business evidence requested within the attorney's timetable.
What to bring to the first conversation
A useful first session takes about an hour if the basics are to hand. Bring, or send in advance:
- a simple group chart showing who owns the foreign company and, if it exists, the US entity, with percentages;
- the US entity's formation documents, EIN notice and any share or membership records;
- the foreign company's last two years of financial statements and tax returns;
- the transferee's CV, appointment letter and a rough list of US trips in the last three years;
- any business plan, budget or hiring plan for the US operation;
- your immigration attorney's contact details and evidence list, if counsel is already engaged.
From this we can tell you which business records already exist, which need to be created or corrected, and roughly how long that preparation will take — so your attorney's filing timetable is built on realistic assumptions.
After approval: keeping the record extension-ready
The L-1 approval is the start of a record-keeping obligation, particularly for new offices whose first approval lasts at most a year. Ongoing work typically includes monthly bookkeeping and reconciliations, US payroll and quarterly filings, annual state reports and franchise taxes, federal returns including any Form 5472 reporting on transactions with the foreign parent, updates to the stock ledger and minutes, and periodic management reports comparing results with the business plan. Twelve months later, the extension evidence — staffing, wages, financial status and proof of doing business — already exists, and your attorney can focus on the legal case.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Asking an accountant or formation agent to decide L-1 eligibility instead of retaining immigration counsel.
- Forming the US entity before the attorney has reviewed the intended ownership and structure.
- Having different advisers produce financial figures that do not match each other.
- Treating business support as finished at approval and having no organized records for the extension.
- Sending the attorney unorganized document dumps with untranslated foreign records.
NYBACS 360° support
How NYBACS helps
- Acts as the single point of contact for corporate, accounting and payroll records across the US entity and the foreign parent's advisers.
- Delivers an indexed, translated and cross-checked business evidence set in the format your immigration attorney requests.
- Builds the business-plan financial model and organization charts from actual payroll, contracts and bank data.
- Provides ongoing bookkeeping, payroll and compliance so new-office extensions and later EB-1C planning rest on complete records.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I still need an immigration attorney if NYBACS is helping?
Yes. Eligibility analysis, petition strategy, Form I-129 preparation and filing, and representation before USCIS sit with a licensed US immigration attorney. Our work is designed to support that attorney, not to replace them.
Can NYBACS work with the attorney we already use?
Yes. We work to the attorney's evidence list and timetable, and share documents in the format they prefer. If you have not engaged counsel yet, we can coordinate with an independent licensed attorney you choose to retain.
Does NYBACS write the business plan?
We prepare the financial and operational inputs — staffing timelines, payroll costs, revenue assumptions and funding — and can assemble a draft. The attorney decides how the plan is framed for the petition, and you confirm that the assumptions reflect your real intentions.
Will NYBACS speak to USCIS or the consulate on our behalf?
No. Communication with USCIS or a consulate about the case is handled by your attorney as your representative, and by the employee at the visa interview.
