Connect the earlier name on the marriage certificate to the person identified in the current passport. That link supports proof of the actual marriage; it does not require rewriting a historically accurate certificate. An eligible spouse may seek E dependent status, but identity continuity, the qualifying relationship and the principal’s status must all be supported.
Check every family document against the current passports
Marriage and birth records issued years ago may show earlier names for you, your spouse, or a child, and school and medical files may differ again. List each mismatch and decide whether a certified translation, an official extract or an affidavit resolves it. Do not assume a shared timetable: family cases can move separately from yours, and children hold no employment authorization from dependent status.
Set checkpoints rather than one deadline: principal case decided, dependent documents gathered, appointments booked, arrival planned. A qualifying spouse generally need not share the E-2 principal’s citizenship and may be employment-authorized incident to valid E status with the required evidence, but a pending application or business ownership does not provide permission. Unmarried children under 21 hold derivative status and may study but not work.
A joint account may establish access or entitlement to funds, but it creates no U.S. status for either spouse.