Yes. An L-2 spouse is employment-authorized incident to status, which means the authorization flows from the status itself rather than from a separate application. Unmarried children under twenty-one may accompany the family and study, but they do not receive work authorization.
The spouse's authorization is automatic; the children's schooling is not employment
This is one of the clearest advantages of the L route over TN for a two-income household. The L-2 spouse's ability to work does not depend on filing for and waiting on a separate document, and employers can be pointed to the policy guidance confirming employment authorization incident to status. The practical steps are administrative: ensuring the admission record correctly reflects L-2 status, and obtaining a social security number so that payroll can be run. Children admitted as L-2 dependants may enrol in school or college. They may not work, and they lose dependant eligibility on marriage or on turning twenty-one, so a child close to that age needs a plan of their own well before the birthday rather than a scramble after it.
Hypothetical example: a specialty-coffee roastery director transfers with a working spouse and a child who turns twenty-one during university. The household must decide how each family member’s timeline fits the assignment, using approval notices, passports, admission records, birth evidence, and school requirements. Record each person’s activity and deadline separately, then sequence admissions, employment, and school steps around those facts. The avoidable problem is that principal approval alone does not create a complete family plan. Do not proceed until everyone has a plan matching their circumstances.