Assess the actual US activity and the spouse’s own status and permission.
Do not infer rights from an old commercial relationship
Work authorization for an L spouse arises incident to the appropriate status, on the required evidence. Familiarity with the customer or the principal’s transfer does not itself authorize the spouse’s employment.
Assess the spouse’s proposed services only after confirming the family’s actual US statuses. A qualifying spouse in L-2 spousal status may work incident to that status when the admission record or other required evidence supports it. The former customer’s invitation, the principal’s L-1B approval, and an unsigned offer do not independently authorize the spouse. Children in derivative L status do not share the spouse’s employment benefit. Meanwhile, the principal must prove the qualifying corporate relationship, the required continuous foreign-employment year, and special or advanced company knowledge for the US role. L-1B stay is generally limited to five years, which should be tracked separately from any spouse’s contract term.
Hypothetical example: A marine-navigation software specialist in Rivière-Éternité is transferred by an affiliated company. Her spouse, an accessibility consultant, is approached by a customer she once supported. The spouse waits until valid L-2 spousal admission is documented before accepting the assignment, and the parties set the start date accordingly. The specialist’s petition relies on internal release knowledge and qualifying payroll history, not the spouse’s customer connection. Their records keep the principal’s five-year immigration clock distinct from the consultant’s commercial schedule.