A job offer does not itself establish work authorization. Assess the spouse’s own status and evidence.
Separate the two employment starts
An eligible L-2 spouse is generally work-authorized incident to valid spousal status; confirm the spouse-specific admission or approval record. Unmarried children under 21 may qualify as L-2 dependants but do not receive employment authorization from that status. The principal’s petition approval is not a substitute for each family member’s status.
Of the routes described on this site, L-1 treats an accompanying spouse most generously, and employers ordinarily rely on the annotated Form I-94 issued on admission when completing onboarding paperwork. Even once work permission exists, the company must truthfully document the principal’s duties rather than assuming that hiring a spouse automatically makes the principal a qualifying manager. The principal’s L-1A case still depends on a qualifying corporate relationship, the required continuous foreign-employment year, and managerial or executive American duties; share ownership does not alter the derivative test. The permission belongs to a spouse in a legally recognised marriage; a partner who is not married to the principal is outside the derivative scheme altogether and needs an independent basis.