Include proposed spousal income only with clear assumptions about a lawful work basis, the job and its start date. Valid qualifying E spouse status can authorize employment, while an independent permission may also be relevant. The pending investor case alone provides neither. A delayed-income scenario can show how much the household would otherwise need from the enterprise.
Test the effect of a delayed second income
Compare the expected start with a later date and, where useful, a period with no spousal wages. This is a planning exercise rather than a mandatory zero-income rule. Verify evidence such as an unexpired I-94 bearing E-2S under the applicable employment-verification rules. A child’s E dependent status does not authorize work, so it should not be used to justify an assumed child salary in the household model.
Employment authorization comes with E-2 dependent spouse status itself, so no separate sponsorship is needed. Write down what the family needs before the business is expected to pay a living, and identify what covers the gap if the spouse begins work later than planned. Spouses of treaty investors are employment-authorized incident to status, and unmarried children under twenty-one may accompany and study.