A Canadian employment arrangement and US work permission need separate assessment.
Review the spouse’s actual location and status
Qualifying L spouses may work incident to appropriate status with required evidence; children do not receive those spouse rights. Do not assume that working for the foreign affiliate supplies US permission when services are actually performed in the United States.
Map each person’s work location and immigration status separately. The principal’s L-1A petition must rest on a qualifying related organization, one continuous foreign year within the preceding three, and primarily managerial or executive US duties. A spouse who remains employed by the Canadian affiliate does not need US work authorization for services performed entirely in Canada, but US-based activity requires an authorized basis. A spouse holding properly documented L-2S status may work incident to status; children may not. The common mistake is assuming the foreign payroll determines where work legally occurs. Track the principal’s time against the seven-year L-1A ceiling.
Hypothetical example: A Saint-Ambroise logistics executive plans the transfer while his spouse becomes interim coordinator for the Canadian warehouse. She will initially work from Quebec, then hopes to assist the US entity after accompanying him. The family documents when her Canadian duties end and postpones all US services until her L-2 spousal status is properly evidenced. Their teenage child may attend school but cannot take a job through the parent’s company. The handover supports operational continuity; it does not itself confer anyone’s US permission.