The spouse’s actual status and authorization govern, not the employer’s description of duration.
Use the spouse’s own status evidence
Qualifying L spouses may work incident to appropriate status with required evidence. A proposed assignment or temporary coverage request does not itself establish that status.
The spouse should not start US employment merely because the principal’s employer calls the transfer short. L-2 spouses are generally employment-authorized incident to valid L-2 status, but the spouse must first obtain that status and retain the evidence appropriate to the intended work. Confirm admission records and document classification before completing onboarding or providing services. Children in L-2 do not receive the spouse’s employment authorization. Meanwhile, the principal’s petition must independently establish a qualifying related organization, a continuous qualifying year abroad within the preceding three years, and primarily managerial or executive US duties. Build family travel around the actual petition and admission sequence, not an internal coverage date. The common error is treating a pending principal filing or approved corporate assignment as if it already created status for every family member.
Hypothetical example: A payroll-systems manager from the Ferland-et-Boilleau area accepts temporary L-1A coverage, while her spouse has an offer as a bicycle mechanic. He postpones all shifts until admitted in the correct L-2 classification and checks his status evidence, rather than assuming her employer’s transfer letter lets him begin immediately.