Read the general life across the border overview
A business may expect relatives to take on work while the principal moves into oversight. Assess the real activities and each person’s permission rather than treating family support as automatically available.
Show what the family would actually take over
When the principal plans to delegate administration or deliveries, list the recurring tasks, the person expected to perform them and the proposed start. Record each relative’s relationship, age and status basis. Distinguish a genuine assignment from an assumption that family will help whenever needed. Reducing the principal’s workload may be important to the business plan, but it does not establish the spouse’s or child’s work authorization. Keep unavailable support visible rather than presenting it as already secured.
Apply dependent rules accurately
TD does not authorize employment, including remote work performed while physically in the United States. Qualifying E and L spouses may be employment-authorized incident to status with appropriate documentation; an EAD is not universally required. Children do not gain work permission solely through dependent status. TD, E and L dependents may study while maintaining applicable status, but study does not extend it. 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 permission before relying on the staffing chart
Place each proposed family task beside the person’s actual admission and status evidence. If permission is uncertain, the staffing forecast should not describe that work as assured. For immigrant planning, assess the relevant relationships, dates and visa availability, including CSPA where applicable; filing does not automatically freeze age. Family labour or funding does not alone establish immigrant status. Record what still needs a decision so a desired delegation date is not mistaken for authorization or used as proof that all family conditions are met.
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.