Eligible spouses and unmarried children under 21 may seek L-2 status. A qualifying L-2 spouse is employment-authorized incident to status, while L-2 children do not receive employment authorization on that basis alone.
Review each family member's status separately
Record citizenship, the relationship evidence, ages and the planned arrival dates for each person. Confirm the spouse's current status documentation rather than assuming a document is automatically issued, and keep a child's study plans and any age-related questions under separate review from the spouse's work authorization. Gather those records in sequence, identify gaps, and have an officer with first-hand knowledge correct them before petition preparation.
For family matters, confirm relationships and ages from primary civil records, then map each person's intended activity and travel sequence. The household must decide whether an independent work or study option is needed instead of assuming the transfer resolves every dependent's plan. Hypothetical example: An independent animation studio transfers its operations lead with two school-aged children; the family must plan each arrival and school decision around the status evidence actually available.