They should not assume that a planned L-1B transfer already supports L-2 admission. Eligible spouses and unmarried children under 21 need their own appropriate status, based on the principal’s qualifying case when relying on L-2.
Avoid an unsupported household schedule
Resolve the employee’s eligibility date before making dependent relocation commitments. An eligible spouse in valid L-2 status may work incident to status with suitable documentation; children cannot work through L-2. A future anniversary, pending evidence review or employer promise does not confer present work permission on the employee or spouse.
Avoid building the household schedule on an anniversary that has not been verified, since the qualifying period is a legal conclusion rather than a date on a calendar and the audit sometimes produces an answer nobody expected. Keep the family's arrangements reversible until the eligibility date has been reviewed and confirmed. Where children's schooling or a partner's employment makes a particular window necessary, say so early so that the review can be prioritized rather than discovered to be urgent later.
Valid L-2 status can authorize a spouse to work when supported by the appropriate evidence, but it does not authorize an L-2 child to work. Prepare the relationship documents in parallel, since that work is independent of the employment audit and there is no reason for it to wait.