Read the general life across the border overview
A Dunnottar household may arrive in stages or change intended activities after the principal begins work. Record each person’s citizenship, relationship, age, current status and actual plans. A shared relocation timeline does not establish identical permissions or automatically cover later employment and study changes.
Identify work plans at the time they become real
Hypothetical example: a spouse initially plans a short stay, then considers remote work from the United States. TD does not authorize employment. Qualifying E and L spouses are employment authorized incident to status with appropriate documentation, but those rights require the actual qualifying status rather than a future intention.
Separate education from work and duration
TD holders and E or L dependents may study while maintaining the applicable status. Study does not extend authorized stay or confer employment rights. Identify any paid placement or internship separately, and remember that dependent children do not gain work permission solely through these categories. For TD, E and L child-dependent status, the child must be unmarried and under 21; immigrant CSPA protection does not extend those temporary child-dependent age limits.
Review individual arrival and age-sensitive dates
Identify the documents relevant to each arrival and any status expiry. For immigrant routes, have visa availability and Child Status Protection Act questions assessed individually; filing does not automatically preserve a child’s eligibility. Business and school milestones should not substitute for the legal dates.
Respect the order of immigrant entry
For an immigrant-visa family, the principal applicant must enter before or together with derivative family members. A preferred staggered move should be planned around that rule and each person’s actual documentation, not treated as an unrestricted choice of arrival order.
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.