Eligible dependents generally use L-2 in either case. Qualifying L spouses are employment-authorized incident to status, while children do not gain employment authorization solely through L-2.
Review the household without changing the principal category
The applicant’s principal route should follow the actual role, not a mistaken belief that choosing a different L category creates different spouse permissions. Record each person’s intended work or study and the relevant age and status dates. Verify the spouse’s current status documentation and any independent employment route rather than making a universal EAD assumption. 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.
Households that have moved between assignments usually hold a scattered set of documents across several countries, and the practical advice is to consolidate them before they are needed: each family member's passports including expired ones, birth certificates, school records and any prior immigration documents. A child admitted in L-2 may attend school full time, but that status carries no work authorisation, so paying them for translation would be employment they cannot lawfully accept, and the fact that the work supports a parent's petition changes nothing.