Cautiously. A new-office L-1A must show the operation will support a managerial or executive position within a year, and an initial new-office approval is limited to one year. Eligible spouses and unmarried children under 21 may seek L-2, with a spouse in valid L-2S status employment authorized incident to status.
Keep the first year reviewable
Plan housing, schooling, and any second income on the basis that the first period is short and will be reassessed against what the business achieved. Record who travels and each person's current status. Where a spouse expects to work, discuss their position specifically rather than assuming it follows automatically from the principal's case.
Long leases or resignations agreed before the structure is settled carry risk that better sequencing avoids. Plan the first period as short and reviewable rather than settled. A new-office case must show the operation will support a managerial or executive position within a year, and the initial approval is limited to that period, with any extension assessed against what the business actually achieved.
Eligible spouses and unmarried children under twenty-one may seek dependent classification, with a spouse in valid dependent status employment authorised incident to status. Record who travels and each person's current status. Where a spouse expects to work, discuss their position specifically rather than assuming it follows from the principal's case, and avoid long leases or resignations agreed before the structure is settled.