Qualifying L spouses may be employment-authorized incident to status with appropriate documentation; an EAD is not universally required.
Review the actual evidence of permission
The employer’s administrative plan does not define the legal rule. Assess the spouse’s own status records; dependent children do not receive employment permission solely through L status.
Plan the household’s actual arrival and departure around the assignment rather than assuming a short project needs no status assessment. The first review should make clear that the principal's knowledge file proves the principal's classification, not a child's right to accept employment or a relative's eligibility. An unmarried child under 21 may qualify as an L dependant but does not gain the spouse’s employment authorization; childcare or school schedules do not change those rules. Dependent status ends at twenty-one, so a child arriving at eighteen for a five-year assignment needs an independent basis, typically student status, before that birthday. Check the child’s actual status and dates rather than using the parent’s approval as the complete family record.