Yes. The principal’s L proposal does not answer every spouse or child question.
Describe work and study plans
Qualifying L spouses may be employment-authorized incident to status with appropriate evidence. Children may study while maintaining status, but receive no work permission solely through L dependent status. Plan dependents individually, beginning with passports, relationship records, current status, intended travel, school plans, and possible work.
L-2 classification can support a spouse’s employment authorization incident to status when the person holds the appropriate status and evidence, while dependent children do not gain employment permission merely from the family relationship. Hypothetical example: the spouse of an L-1B instrumentation specialist is a freelance audio editor who expects to serve U.S. clients from a home studio.
Before beginning paid projects, the household should confirm the spouse’s own status documentation and any relevant local business obligations. A dependent label is not enough by itself. Make sure marriage and birth certificates align with passport names, and retain name-change records where they do not.
The practical family decision may be to travel together, have dependents join later, or postpone a spouse’s client launch. Do not use school enrollment, a family lease, or an online business profile as proof of work authorization. Keep admission records for every family member because their permitted dates can affect the plan.