The business decision and the spouse’s immigration permission require separate assessment. A hiring approval does not itself authorize U.S. employment.
Check the individual work basis
Qualifying L spouses are employment authorized incident to status with appropriate documentation. Children do not obtain work permission solely through L dependent status. Describe any actual family role and confirm relevant status evidence before relying on the plan.
The spouse and unmarried children under 21 of an L-1 transferee are admitted in L-2 status for the same period as the principal. Under current USCIS policy, employment authorization is incident to L-2 status, and the admission record annotated as an L-2 spouse serves as proof of it for an employer. The spouse could therefore handle the subsidiary's bookkeeping, dispatch or estimating, and be paid, provided the spouse's status is valid and unexpired. The principal still must document a qualifying related organization, twelve continuous months of foreign employment in the prior three years, and a U.S. role that is primarily managerial or executive. A family itinerary cannot expand either person’s permission, so schedule productive follow-up only after the spouse’s own status is effective. A frequent family mistake is assuming that foreign-source wages take the activity outside US immigration rules.