Eligible spouses and unmarried children under 21 may seek L-2 status. A qualifying L spouse is employment-authorized incident to that status, while dependent children do not receive work authorization through L-2 alone.
Review each person's status and plans individually
Record citizenship, relationship evidence, age and the proposed arrival date for each family member. Confirm the spouse's actual documentation of employment authorization rather than assuming a particular card is always required. Keep children's schooling plans distinct from any work question, and do not let the principal applicant's target date silently decide everyone else's arrangements.
List each relative’s status, work intention, study plan, and documentary need separately from the transferee’s petition. The review should explain that a qualifying L spouse may be authorized to work incident to status, while children do not receive the same work permission. Hypothetical example: a transferred operations executive has a spouse who plans to open a pottery studio and a seventeen-year-old who will attend school.
Before relocation, the household should confirm the spouse’s admission documentation and keep the studio plan distinct from the employer’s petition. The child’s school records and age also belong on the calendar, because family eligibility and work authority are not interchangeable.