Comfortably. An initial L-1B petition for an established affiliate can be approved for up to three years, with extensions to a total of five. If the affiliate has operated for less than a year, the first approval is limited to one year and must be extended with evidence of actual operations.
Match the petition period to the program, then track the five-year cap
Hypothetical example: a Haldimand County equipment manufacturer's controls designer is needed for an eighteen-month series of installations across a U.S. affiliate's customer base, with the possibility of a second program afterwards. Request a validity period that covers the known program plus reasonable margin, up to the three-year maximum for an established affiliate.
Extensions are available in increments up to the five-year overall L-1B limit; time spent in H-1B status also counts against it, and short trips home do not reset the clock. If the affiliate was incorporated within the last year, the new-office rule caps the first approval at one year, so plan an extension filing around month nine with commissioning reports and payroll as evidence of real activity. Keep a log of the designer's days in the United States.
If the program grows into a permanent role, the seven-year L-1A cap and any permanent-residence strategy should be assessed before year four, not at year five when the options have narrowed.