An evidence request is not itself a grant or extension of L-2 status. The principal’s filing type, existing status and each dependent’s records determine the family’s position and any available continuation rules.
Review dates independently of the notice
Give counsel all I-94s and dependent filing records when the request arrives. An eligible spouse’s work authorization depends on qualifying status and appropriate evidence; do not assume a pending response grants universal permission to continue work. Children in L-2 cannot work and must remain unmarried and under 21.
Keep school, travel and employment planning separate from an assumed approval date. Household steps follow their own order, and it rarely matches the principal’s. Confirm each dependant’s current status and admitted-until date before deciding whether anything needs to be filed, because the answer differs from person to person inside one family.
A spouse who wishes to work should have that assessed once valid L-2 status exists, not while a response to an evidence request is outstanding, and children in L-2 cannot work at any point and must remain unmarried and under 21. Hypothetical example: a childcare-centre group transferring a director asks whether the accompanying spouse may begin a role at one of its U.S. sites, and the answer turns on the spouse’s status record rather than the employer’s convenience.
Run the family review alongside the principal’s, never after it.