A pending application does not itself authorize US work.
Plan staffing from actual permission
Qualifying L spouses may work incident to appropriate status with required evidence. An urgent vacancy or the employer’s willingness to hire does not remove that requirement.
Under current USCIS policy, the spouse of an L-1 transferee is authorized to work by virtue of L-2 status, evidenced by an admission record carrying the spousal notation, without applying for a separate employment authorization document. L-2 rules can permit a qualifying spouse to work under the governing federal framework, whereas a child does not obtain a comparable general employment privilege. The first review should record relationship evidence, document expirations, education plans, and any spouse employment plans, because the principal's assignment does not answer those questions. The principal’s pending Form I-129, anticipated approval, or planned admission confers nothing on the spouse yet, and L-2 children do not share the spouse’s employment entitlement. Verify the spouse’s current status documentation and any independent employment route rather than making a universal EAD assumption. Confirm identity and relationship evidence, the intended timing of each move, and any separate work or business activity a spouse proposes after arrival. L dependent eligibility covers a spouse or unmarried child under 21, but children do not acquire the spouse’s work benefit even if the employer pays identical relocation charges.