Yes — keep the applicant's personal capital contribution as a shareholder separate from company operating costs, government filing fees, and family-related expenses. A personal investment in the parent company is not itself an immigration filing cost.
Track the shareholder's money separately from the filing budget
Ask specifically which costs are being counted as new-office development evidence versus the applicant's own equity contribution. Confirm current government fees for this employer's specific filing, and keep the ownership-related paperwork as its own line item for corporate and tax review.
Separate commercial launch capital from immigration preparation. Build one schedule for premises, payroll capacity, equipment, insurance, and working capital; another for corporate records, translations, professional services, current government charges, and family filings; and a third for the shareholder’s personal contribution. An initial new-office petition does not require the U.S. entity to operate yet, but it needs secured physical premises and, for L-1A, evidence addressing the investment size and the foreign entity’s financial ability to support the proposed operation. For L-1A, the plan must support a managerial or executive position within one year. Treating a lease deposit or owner infusion as though it answers every requirement is the common mistake.
Hypothetical example: A LaSalle executive funds part of an American launch by a greenhouse-control equipment manufacturer. The budget should identify whether each transfer buys shares, lends money, or pays a company expense, while forecasts connect staffing to the executive role. Initial new-office approval lasts up to one year; an extension requires evidence that the American business is operating. The company should therefore preserve invoices, payroll, contracts, and managerial records from launch rather than trying to reconstruct them near extension time.