A spouse admitted in L-2 status is employment-authorized incident to status and may work for any employer. Unmarried children under twenty-one may live in the United States and attend school or college, but they have no work authorization and lose dependant status at twenty-one.
The spouse's route is open; plan the children's around the age limit
For a two-year assignment the age limit rarely bites, but assignments extend. A child who is nineteen at the move will be twenty-one before a five-year assignment ends, and on that birthday dependant status ends regardless of school enrolment or family circumstances. The usual answer is a student classification arranged with the institution's designated school official, and it should be in place before the birthday rather than applied for afterwards. For the spouse, the practical items are an accurate admission record showing L-2 status and a social security number, since payroll systems will require one. Employers unfamiliar with the incident-to-status rule can be shown the published policy guidance; this is a documentation conversation, not a legal obstacle.
Hypothetical example: an aquaculture feed-formulation analyst relocates with a spouse and a child who ages out mid-assignment. The household must decide when the child must obtain a separate status plan, using passports, admission records, school guidance, and the exact birthday. Record each person’s activity and deadline separately, then sequence admissions, employment, and school steps around those facts. The avoidable problem is that discovering the deadline after enrollment can eliminate useful choices. Do not proceed until everyone has a plan matching their circumstances.
Document that choice before any dependent status expires.