The principal’s performance has no automatic effect on the spouse’s work permission.
Use the spouse’s own authorization evidence
Qualifying L spouse status can carry employment authorization with the required evidence. A pending transfer and employer recommendation do not establish that status.
An L-2 spouse who is employment-authorized has the widest room, which is one practical reason a household may prefer an L petition over a category whose dependants cannot work. Check the spouse’s actual admission or status documentation before committing to delivery; calling a session unpaid does not automatically make it permissible. For a family arriving in stages, make sure the civil documents prove each relationship and that travel plans align with the principal’s valid status. For family matters, make the principal category decision independently of dependent plans, then record each person's age, status, and intended activity. The principal’s case separately requires a qualifying organizational relationship, a continuous foreign year within the applicable prior three, and specialized company knowledge used in the US assignment. L dependent eligibility covers a spouse or unmarried child under 21, but children do not acquire the spouse’s work benefit even if the employer pays identical relocation charges. Eligible spouse and child plans require individual documentation; do not assume a travelling role removes any status or admission requirement.