Assess the actual activity and the spouse’s status. The principal’s transfer does not automatically authorize another person’s work.
Use the proper evidence
Qualifying L spouse status may carry employment authorization. Pending preparation or unpaid assistance is not itself permission.
Plan the household’s actual arrival and departure around the assignment rather than assuming a short project needs no status assessment. The rule is simple: a child qualifies as a dependant while unmarried and under twenty-one, and on that birthday the derivative eligibility ends regardless of what the principal's status permits. List each family member’s relationship, age, passport, prior status and intended activity separately from the company’s technical narrative. Families sometimes plan a move on the principal's role alone and then find the spouse's position is either much better or much worse than assumed depending on the classification chosen. If the spouse cannot teach on the intended date, have the employer identify another lawful delivery arrangement instead of assuming the principal’s classification covers the whole household. Children in L-2 status may study and are never employment-authorized, and dependent status ends at twenty-one regardless of how many countries the family has lived in. Where a spouse intends to work, ask for that to be assessed on its own facts early, since assuming the principal case delivers it can leave a household without income for months.