L-2 eligibility is based on the qualifying family relationship and principal’s status, not sharing the employee’s professional language skills. Eligible spouses and unmarried children under 21 may apply, with nationality affecting individual visa procedures where relevant.
Prepare each person’s route
Collect passports and relationship records for each dependent rather than assuming everyone follows the same process. Eligible spouses in valid L-2 status may work incident to status with appropriate documentation; L-2 children may not work. Translation of civil documents, where required, is separate from proving the employee’s specialised business knowledge.
Family members' eligibility depends on the relationship to the principal and on the principal's status, and does not require them to share the employee's nationality, language or background. Prepare each person's route on its own basis. That means each individual's own passport and travel history, the relationship documents establishing the connection to the principal, and certified translations where originals are not in English.
A qualifying L-2 spouse’s status-based employment authorization lasts only while valid dependent status is maintained; children in L-2 status are not employment-authorized. Where family members hold different nationalities from the principal, the procedure each follows may differ, so confirm it for each person rather than assuming the principal's route applies to everyone travelling with them.