Children do not gain work permission solely through L dependent status. A qualifying L spouse has a different status-based work benefit with appropriate evidence.
Review the actual proposed activity
A family label does not decide whether assistance is employment or otherwise permitted. Identify the task and individual status before participation. The dependent category is for a qualifying spouse or unmarried child under 21; each person needs valid status.
Since the policy change recognizing L-2 spouses as employment-authorized incident to status, a spouse admitted in L-2 does not need a separate employment authorization document to begin work, provided the admission record carries the spouse annotation that employers accept for verification. Where a spouse has professional qualifications, it is still worth asking whether an independent route would give the household more security than a derivative status that ends when the principal's does. The principal’s transfer and the spouse’s admission may not occur on the same day, so build the household budget around the actual dates rather than a shared assumption. Keep future changes on the household checklist: a child ageing out, a passport renewal, a school transfer, or a spouse’s new professional requirement may need action before travel.