The spouse is employment-authorized incident to dependent status and may work for any employer. Children may study but may not work, and derivative status ends at twenty-one.
The five-year cap shapes the family plan
The spouse's position matches a managerial transfer, which makes these assignments easier on a household than the professional routes are. Authorization flows from the status itself, so she may take any employment, subject to whatever professional licensing her occupation requires from the state, and that licensing should be started early because it commonly outlasts the immigration process. Children may attend school at any level and may not accept employment of any kind. The five-year cap is the feature that most affects family planning here: it is shorter than the managerial limit, it is reduced by prior U.S. time, and dependants' status ends when the principal's does. A family expecting to stay longer should identify the next step in the first year rather than in the last.
Hypothetical example: the family of a heat-pump controls specialist plans a move while one child is considering a paid summer internship. The first review should produce a family matrix listing the principal's status, each dependant's admission record, intended schooling, and proposed employment. Passports, civil records, and the admission documents establish who is covered; an internship offer does not alter a child's derivative limits. Put the child's age beside the principal's five-year maximum, because those deadlines can force different decisions. A common mistake is arranging a job first and asking about work authorization later. The household should instead confirm the status evidence an employer will need and obtain advice before accepting any paid role, especially when a child is nearing the point at which derivative classification ends.