Continuity at the departing end usually shapes the move. If no successor is ready, the employer may ask for a staged handover, split time, or a later start, which changes when the family relocates. Eligible spouses and unmarried children under 21 may seek L-2; children are not work authorized by that status.
Match the household plan to the handover
Ask who will run the team after the transfer and when that person is expected to be ready, then plan school terms, housing, and a spouse's job search against that answer rather than the target start date. Record each family member's nationality and current status. Where a spouse intends to work, a spouse in valid L-2S status is employment authorized incident to status, and an EAD is not universally required; suitable status and employment-eligibility evidence is still needed.
Ask who will run the team after the transfer and when that person is expected to be ready, then plan school terms, housing, and any job search against that answer rather than against the target start date. Where no successor exists, employers often ask for a staged handover, split time, or a later start, and each of those changes when the family can actually move. Record each family member's nationality and current status.
Eligible spouses and unmarried children under twenty-one may seek dependent classification, and a spouse in valid dependent status is employment authorised incident to status, with suitable evidence still needed, while children are not authorised to work.