Review the spouse’s qualifying status and the principal’s continuing E eligibility alongside the actual travel pattern. A qualifying E spouse is generally employment-authorized incident to valid status with applicable proof, but extensive or changed absences should not be assumed irrelevant to the underlying case. Obtain advice on the actual circumstances rather than treating spouse authorization as independent of all principal-status questions.
Do not let household income depend on an assumption
Each family member has a separate application and separate eligibility, so approvals and appointment dates are not shared or guaranteed. Before the spouse accepts an offer, confirm what the employer and, where relevant, a Social Security office will accept as proof. Note also that a visa's validity is not the same as the authorized period recorded on admission, which matters when planning school enrolment and employment start dates.
Dependent eligibility rests on a legally married spouse and unmarried children under 21; living together or sharing finances does not substitute for the legal relationship. Children under twenty-one accompany the household, may study, and may not take employment, and paying a child for stall work in the family barn is employment whether or not anyone calls it that.