Read the general life across the border overview
A household may discuss several possible routes before one is actually pursued. Keep proposed categories separate from the status and permission each person presently holds. A first review creates a separate line for every traveller: present status, intended category, relationship evidence, passport validity and expected admission timing. The family must then decide which person is the principal and whether each relative qualifies as a derivative at the relevant stage. A household's business plan or moving date does not itself grant any person's employment permission.
Name the actual and proposed positions
Identify the principal’s real case stage and each relative’s intended relationship and category. Hypothetical example: a family describes itself as an L household while the principal only has a proposed transfer. A future label does not establish current dependent status. Hypothetical example: A museum registrar accepts an L transfer, while the spouse plans to remain in Canada until a school term ends and the child expects to arrive later. The family should decide the principal's actual approval and admission sequence first, then gather the relationship and status records for each later traveller rather than relying on a shared itinerary.
Assess work rights from valid status
TD does not authorize employment, including remote work while physically in the United States. Qualifying E and L spouses may work incident to valid status with appropriate evidence; dependent children do not receive that spousal benefit. An employer’s plan or the family’s preferred category is not the required status evidence. Before accepting work or arranging remote duties, identify the exact status held on the date the work will occur and retain the admission evidence that proves it. The practical decision is often whether to postpone employment, use a separately available authorization, or pursue a status that carries the appropriate work benefit; an offer letter cannot choose that answer.
Track dates and changing eligibility
Temporary dependent children generally must be unmarried and under 21. Study does not extend an admission period, and immigrant age protection requires individual assessment rather than freezing temporary dependent limits. Keep actual admission and case records separate from school and moving calendars. Keep birth, marriage and prior-status records with each person's age and admission timeline. A family should decide whether a child remains eligible before committing to travel or study plans, because school enrollment, a lease and a later filing do not independently extend temporary dependent classification.
Sequence immigrant-family entry from individual documents
Derivative relatives using immigrant visas may enter only after, or at the same time as, the principal applicant. Build any staggered arrival plan from that sequence and from each traveller’s own documentation rather than assuming the household may choose any order. For immigrant processing, confirm who is the principal applicant and plan travel only after reviewing each person's issued documentation. A staggered arrival is a concrete sequencing decision: derivative family members cannot use an earlier entry to replace the requirement that the principal enter first or at the same time.
What else is on your mind?
Is a matching job title enough for TN?Can years of experience replace a degree for TN?Can my own U.S. company employ me under TN?Can my spouse work if I hold TN status?Editorial source review: 2026-09-07. General preparation guidance, not an individual assessment.