Dependent status follows the principal's status, so a change that undermines the investor's position affects everyone in the household. Eligible spouses and unmarried children under 21 may hold dependent classification, and a qualifying E spouse is generally employment-authorized incident to valid status. Before relying on that income, understand how removable the applicant's role in the company really is.
Ask what the majority owner can undo
Identify the provisions that could strip the applicant's role: termination of the employment agreement, removal as an officer, dilution through a new financing round, or a forced buyback of the shares. Ask counsel what protections could be negotiated now, while the company still wants the investment. Then plan the family's housing, schooling and any spouse employment around the arrangement's actual durability, not around the confidence expressed in the offer letter.
Identify the provisions that could remove the applicant's position: termination of the employment agreement, removal as an officer, dilution through a further financing round, or a forced buyback of the shares. Ask counsel which protections could be negotiated now, while the company still wants the investment, since the negotiating position weakens once funds are paid. Dependent status follows the principal's status, so anything undermining the applicant's role affects the whole household.
Eligible spouses and unmarried children under twenty-one may hold dependent classification, and a qualifying spouse is generally employment authorised incident to valid status. Plan housing, schooling, and any spouse employment around the arrangement's actual durability rather than the confidence expressed in an offer letter.