Assess the actual activity and the spouse’s status. A nonprofit label or absence of pay does not itself determine whether the activity is permitted.
Review the individual basis for the activity
Qualifying L spouses are employment authorized incident to status with appropriate documentation. Children gain no work permission solely through L dependent status. Have proposed activities assessed rather than assuming the organization’s mission creates immigration authorization.
Confirm the spouse’s status and any separate licensing requirements for the occupation. The principal’s petition approval does not grant the spouse status automatically. Record the spouse’s planned arrival, current authorization and intended work. A spouse who is a self-employed consultant, a nurse or an accountant can therefore pursue U.S. work or clients without a second immigration case, although professional licensing remains a separate question. A spouse may be employment-authorized incident to valid L-2 spousal status, with the appropriate admission record or other required evidence; a pending petition, service contract, or family relationship alone is insufficient. Children in L-2 status may attend school but may not work at any age, and a child who turns 21 loses derivative status. Unmarried children under twenty-one hold L-2 as well and may study, but that status does not authorize them to work.