Yes. An L-2 spouse is employment-authorized incident to status, so the spouse may work without waiting for a separate permit. Unmarried children under twenty-one may accompany her but are not authorized to work.
The spouse's rights are the strongest part of this category
Employment authorization incident to status is a meaningful practical difference between L-1 and TN, and for a household where both adults work it often decides the route. The L-2 spouse does not depend on the principal's employer and can take a job with anyone. Children in L-2 may attend school but may not work, and their eligibility ends at twenty-one, so a household with an older teenager should map that person's own route early rather than assume the family status covers them.
Two further points matter to Ines. Her L-1A time is capped at seven years, which sets a horizon for any longer-term plan the family makes. And a spouse who intends to work should carry documentation of status when starting a job, because employers vary in how familiar they are with the incident-to-status rule and a delay at that stage is avoidable.
- USCIS: L-1A Intracompany Transferee Executive or Manager
- USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 2 Part L, Intracompany Transferees
- eCFR: 8 CFR 214.2(l), Intracompany transferees
- Department of State: 9 FAM 402.12, L classifications
- USCIS: employment authorization for certain spouses, Policy Manual Volume 10 Part B Chapter 2