A qualifying L spouse may be employment-authorized incident to status with appropriate documentation; the actual status must be established.
Do not rely solely on family ownership
An employment authorization document is not universally required for qualifying L spouses. Children do not receive work permission solely from L dependent status. The dependent category concerns a qualifying spouse or unmarried child under 21, each with actual status evidence.
The single most useful thing a family can do is verify what appears on each arrival record when they enter, rather than months later when a spouse has a job offer and the record turns out to say something unexpected. L-2 eligibility follows from the executive's own approved L-1A status once granted; the layoff issue is resolved at the principal petition stage and does not create a separate family requirement. If a relative will remain outside the United States initially, plan for the appropriate later process instead of assuming the principal’s approval automatically places that person in status. Record each person's citizenship and current status at the first meeting as well, since routes differ by nationality and a family member's own history can create steps that do not follow from the principal's case.