Discuss the intended separate arrival and the spouse's own eligibility and documentation. A later journey should be planned from the relevant process, rather than assuming the principal's travel packet can simply be reused.
Give each traveller an individual preparation date
Record who is travelling, when and which documents they will have. Include any employment plan requiring evidence of the spouse's status. The timing of the family's journeys is a practical planning question that should be visible during review, not discovered after the first person has moved.
Hypothetical example: A regional museum-services company transfers its Canadian operations vice-president, while her spouse plans to open a bookkeeping practice and their eighteen-year-old plans to attend college. The first review produces a family roster, relationship documents, intended arrival dates, and separate notes on work and study. Passports and civil records settle the relationship; the principal's approval and admission evidence establish the derivative basis. Obtain those core documents first, then check the spouse's proof of L-2 classification before making employment arrangements, and finally address the child's school requirements. A spouse in qualifying L-2 classification normally has work authorization incident to that classification, while children do not receive the same permission merely by being dependants. Avoid assuming that an adult child's planned part-time job is covered. The principal's L-1A route still depends on the qualifying year, the corporate relationship, and a genuinely managerial or executive role. Keep this L1A family record aligned with final filing facts and issued source materials, then preserve a dated copy internally before formal submission for future reference and review by responsible staff if questions arise later.