It moves everything. Until counsel confirms which window is being counted, no dependant timetable is firm. Eligible spouses and unmarried children under 21 may seek L-2; a spouse in valid L-2S status is employment authorized incident to status, while children are not work authorized by L-2. Keep those applications aligned with the principal's confirmed dates.
Hold reversible decisions until the date is settled
Where a chronology may push a start date back by months, avoid commitments that cannot be undone: a school place accepted for a fixed term, a lease signed for a set date, or a spouse's resignation timed to an assumed departure. Rank the household's decisions by how costly a reversal would be, and take the cheap ones first. Revisit the list each time counsel narrows the qualifying window.
Rank the household's decisions by how costly a reversal would be, then take the cheap ones first and hold the rest. Until counsel confirms which window is being counted, no dependant timetable is firm, and a chronology can push a start date back by months. Avoid a school place accepted for a fixed term, a lease signed for a set date, or a spouse's resignation timed to an assumed departure.
Eligible spouses and unmarried children under twenty-one may seek dependent classification, with a spouse in valid dependent status employment authorised incident to status while children are not. Revisit the list each time counsel narrows the window.