The L1 works the way it's supposed to and part of the reason there are restrictions on spouses/children working has to do with how the L1 is issued. For example

The L1 works the way it's supposed to and part of the reason there are restrictions on spouses/children working has to do with how the L1 is issued. For example I've got a client that brings L1s (blanket L1) in at a rate of 5-10 a month. These workers are here from anywhere between 10 days and several years. The US government doesn't want to issue an EAD card to the spouse of someone that's not going to be here for very long. The biggest problem with the immigration system that I have has to do with students going into the H1-B pool after graduation. We should either hand anyone that graduates with a STEM degree from a US university permanent residence upon graduation or make a new class of H visa that doesn't count against the cap. I see companies cheating but following the letter of the law all the time when they have an F1 student intern that is about to graduate and they want to keep on so they sponsor an H1 for them. This has nothing to do with wages, just the technicalities and paper work. We should be trying desperately to keep these people in the US, not making it luck of the draw if they get an H1. Any wage depression issues could be resolved if H1-B workers had to work for their employers directly and not as consultants for other employers. edit: removed bit about L1 and permanent residence, the L1 is dual intent.