Ask what evidence of status an employer will accept, and how that evidence is maintained when the principal's status is extended. L-2 spouses are employment-authorised incident to status.
Authorisation exists; documentation still needs planning
The spouse's ability to work follows from the status rather than from any sponsoring employer, which removes the largest obstacle a household usually faces. The remaining questions are administrative and are worth asking before the move rather than during a job search. Ask what documentation prospective employers in the destination generally expect to see, how it is obtained, and what happens to it when the principal's status is extended.
Ask whether any professional licence the spouse holds transfers, which is a separate question from work authorisation and often the real constraint. Children accompanying the family may generally study under the published guidance and hold no work permission through dependent status, and a child approaching twenty-one needs their own planning. Hypothetical example: a solar-racking manufacturer is transferring an operations executive whose spouse is licensed in a separate profession.
The first review should produce a family calendar, the spouse’s licensing checklist, school records, and a plan for the child nearest age twenty-one. The licensing board’s written rules settle whether the spouse can use existing credentials after the move; the principal’s status documents settle the derivative basis. Start those inquiries before accepting a house purchase or assuming two salaries will begin together.
The failure pattern is treating work authorization and professional permission as one question. They are separate: an employer may be willing to hire, yet the regulated work may remain unavailable until a local registration or examination is completed.