TD does not authorize employment. The foreign location of the employer does not itself permit work performed in the United States.
Review the actual activity separately
Identify the spouse’s intended work and any independent authorization. The principal’s TN proposal does not answer the household’s employment questions.
TD is a dependant status: the spouse and unmarried children under twenty-one may accompany the TN professional, enrol in school and remain for the same period, but the status carries no work authorization. If a spouse or family member is also being considered for a role at the same or a related company, treat that as its own case with its own facts, rather than assuming the principal applicant's TN approval extends any work permission to them. School enrolment, a lease, a resignation, and a spouse's own notice period are all easier to delay than to undo, and the clearance timeline is set by parties outside the household. Dependent status does not authorise employment, while study is generally permitted, so a spouse planning to begin paid work on return is the item to raise with counsel first rather than last.