Dependent permissions still turn on individual status. Qualifying L spouses are employment-authorized incident to status; L-2 children are not authorized to work solely by that classification.
Review changes affecting the household
If the principal assignment changes, ask how that affects the actual case and family plans. Record each person’s citizenship, age and intended activity. Do not treat the client’s assignment letter as evidence of the spouse’s authorization or an extension of anyone’s stay. The dependent categories cover a qualifying spouse and unmarried children under 21. Check each person’s relationship, age and period of authorized stay rather than extending a permission from another household member.
Practical enrolment questions are usually resolved by the school district, which asks for proof of residence, immunization records and previous transcripts rather than immigration documents beyond status. Find out which category the spouse's occupation falls into in the specific state before the household budgets that income, and start any licensing application early, since it will run on its own timetable regardless of the immigration file. Children admitted as L-2 dependants may enrol in school and are listed among the classes permitted to study, but they hold no work authorisation, which matters where a teenager expects summer employment.