Dependent status runs with the principal’s, so the family’s time is bounded by the same ceiling. A spouse in L-2 is employment-authorized incident to status; children may study but may not work.
Decide now what happens at the end
The employment question is the easy one. The harder planning question is what the family does when the maximum is reached, because L-1B allows five years rather than the seven available in L-1A, and derivative status ends when the principal’s does. A household that arrives with children in primary school will face that date while those children are still in school. A spouse who builds a career on L-2 authorization will face it too. Neither is a reason to avoid the category, but both are reasons to identify at the outset what route, if any, might follow, and to check whether the children will still be under twenty-one at each relevant point.
A family file should not be an afterthought to the technical petition. Confirm relationship documents, passport validity, prior status history, and the timing of each person’s travel. Children’s age and education plans may affect whether one combined move makes sense. The spouse’s employment question is separate from the principal’s specialized-knowledge evidence and should be checked using the applicable status rules. Hypothetical example: a satellite-imaging technician has a spouse whose passport expires shortly after the planned move; renewing first may prevent a family timeline that is shorter than the principal’s assignment.