A spouse in L-2 status is employment-authorized incident to that status and may work for any employer. Children in dependent status may attend school but may not work, and that status ends at twenty-one. Each person's status derives from the principal's, so extensions and lapses affect the whole household together.
Fix the household calendar to the petition
Once the petition is approved, write one page listing each family member, the status held, the admission record number and its expiry, and each child's date of birth. Add the school registration deadlines for the coming year and the dates on which any professional licence application for the spouse must be made. Review the page whenever the principal's employment changes, because a move to a different group entity or a substantial change in duties is an immigration event as well as a corporate one. Remember that the seven-year maximum on the principal's classification is also the outer boundary of the family's stay in these statuses, and that a household planning to stay indefinitely needs a different conversation well before that point.
Hypothetical example: a Tyendinaga manager's spouse has accepted a U.S. teaching position but their child will turn twenty-one during the proposed assignment. Put the child’s age and school plans on the calendar before relying on dependant status. The spouse's ability to work follows qualifying L-2 status, while a child needs an independent plan when derivative eligibility ends. A family meeting now prevents an abrupt status problem later. If timing is tight, obtain individual advice before a dependent's eligibility ends instead of assuming the principal approval extends everyone automatically.