An L-2 spouse is employment-authorized incident to status and may work for any employer, including the same company, once admitted with the correct annotation. Children in L-2 status cannot work.
Spouse authorization is broad, but confirm the admission record
Since the policy change recognizing L-2 spouses as employment-authorized incident to status, a spouse admitted in L-2 does not need a separate employment authorization document to begin work, provided the admission record carries the spouse annotation that employers accept for verification. Check the I-94 on arrival and correct it immediately if the annotation is missing. The spouse may work for the group's U.S.
plant, a different employer or a self-directed business. Children admitted in L-2 may study but have no employment authorization at any age, and a child who turns 21 loses derivative status and needs a route of their own. If the spouse is a Canadian permanent resident rather than a citizen, L-2 is still available because it follows the principal, unlike TD, which depends on the principal's citizenship only.
Confirm each family member's passport validity and any prior U.S. refusals before the move.