A qualifying L spouse’s employment authorization is based on status with appropriate documentation, not the principal’s expertise.
Keep the individual basis clear
Children receive no work permission solely through L dependent status. Any separate occupational requirements for the spouse’s intended job remain distinct.
Build a dated review file around the spouse's status evidence, each child’s age and school plan, and any proposed activity in the related business. 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. On arrival, check that the admission record bears the L-2 spouse annotation; if it was omitted, request a correction before the first shift, because the dairy's employment verification relies on that record. For a family arriving in stages, make sure the civil documents prove each relationship and that travel plans align with the principal’s valid status. Derivative status ends at twenty-one, and where the assignment is expected to run the full five years, any child aged seventeen or older at the start will need an independent basis before it finishes.