Evidence assembly is the longest step, often several weeks; after filing, premium processing yields a decision within the published window and a Canadian citizen can enter on the approval notice without a visa appointment.
Plan around the evidence, then choose the processing speed
The sequence is evidence, petition, decision, entry. Because an L-1B case turns on documents that must be gathered from inside the company and often translated, the preparation phase is where time goes; two to six weeks is a realistic range for a first petition where manuals, logs, service records and position descriptions must be located and organized. Once Form I-129 is filed, USCIS regular processing has no fixed timeline and can run for months, while premium processing commits the agency to act within its published window, which for a company facing forty unsupported installations is usually worth the fee. On approval, the specialist, as a Canadian citizen, presents the approval notice and his passport at a port of entry and is admitted for the period requested, up to three years initially; a two-year assignment can be requested as such. If the assignment runs long, an extension must be filed before the current period ends; L-1B is capped at five years in total.
Treat the approval date as the start of entry planning, not as proof that every travel detail is complete. The approval notice and the passport are the records a Canadian citizen presents at admission, while the I-94 confirms the period received. Hypothetical example: a commercial water-treatment controller manufacturer needs its diagnostics specialist for a plant launch. It should freeze the technical description before filing, select premium processing only after reviewing the current USCIS commitment, and schedule installation after admission. Repeated last-minute edits create conflicting manuals and delay the case.