Yes. An L-2 spouse is employment-authorized incident to status and may work without applying for a separate card, once admitted with an I-94 that reflects L-2 spouse status. Children in L-2 may study but not work.
Plan the spouse's work around the I-94 annotation, not a promise
Hypothetical example: the transferee's spouse is a licensed practical nurse in Saskatchewan and hopes to work in the same state. Employment authorization incident to status solves the immigration side: she may accept employment once admitted as an L-2 spouse, and the annotated I-94 serves as evidence for the employer's Form I-9. It does not solve the professional side. Nursing licensure in the destination state depends on that state's board, examinations and credential review, which can take months and which no immigration document replaces. Sequence the two: confirm the state's licensing route now, then treat the L-2 admission as the moment work can lawfully begin. Children admitted as L-2 dependants may attend school, and their status ends at 21 or on marriage, so an older teenager's plans deserve their own conversation. Keep the family's admissions consistent with the principal's validity dates.
Hypothetical example: a specialty-coffee roaster transfers its operations executive, whose spouse plans to open a separate design studio after the move. The family should first confirm each person's admission document and then distinguish work authorization from local business requirements, tax registration, and any occupational permits. A spouse's ability to work does not automatically authorize a regulated activity or create a business licence. An opening file audit should assemble a travel sequence, relationship-document packet, and independent plan for any child nearing 21. The records that settle family eligibility are marriage and birth documents, not shared addresses or insurance cards. Difficulty often appears when a spouse begins arranging paid work before admission or when an older child is assumed to remain a dependant without checking the age and marriage rules.