Read the general life across the border overview
Dependant status is not the same in every category. TD spouses cannot work; L-2 and E-2 spouses are employment-authorized incident to status; EB-5 derivatives receive their own permanent residence. For a household where both adults intend to work, the principal's category can matter more to the spouse's career than to the principal's own. Decide the route with the spouse's plans on the table, list each child's age against the 21-year cutoff, and separate Canadian citizenship from permanent residence for every family member before assuming anyone's status follows anyone else's.
Start with the spouse's intended activity, not the principal's offer
Hypothetical example: a Lac-Beauport college instructor receives a U.S. teaching offer that would qualify under the TN entry for college teachers, while her spouse, a self-employed accountant, plans to keep serving Québec clients remotely. On TN, the spouse's TD status does not permit employment, and work performed for Canadian clients while physically in the United States is still employment there. The household has three honest options: the spouse pauses professional work, the spouse qualifies for TN or another category in his own right, or the principal pursues a category with a working spouse, such as L-1 or E-2, if her facts support one. Which option is realistic depends on the spouse's credentials and the employer's structure, and it should be settled before the instructor accepts, because a spouse who cannot work for three years is a cost the offer letter never mentions.
Run each child against age, study and the calendar
Children under 21 may accompany a principal in TD, L-2 or E-2 status and may attend school at any level, but they may not work, including summer or campus employment. Status ends on the 21st birthday or on marriage. For a household with children aged 16 and 19, the older child's timeline is the constraint: a three-year assignment means the 19-year-old loses dependant status in the second year, mid-degree, and would need to qualify for a student classification on their own, with its own financial and enrolment requirements. Write each child's birth date, the intended move date and the assignment length on one line each; the arithmetic usually reveals the problem before any lawyer does.
Record each person's nationality and status as its own fact
A Lac-Beauport household may contain a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident with another nationality, a child born in Canada and a child born abroad. Each is assessed individually. Canadian permanent residence does not confer TN eligibility, does not count as treaty nationality for E-2, and does not change the country of chargeability for immigrant visas, which follows country of birth. List, for each person: full name, date of birth, nationality or nationalities, Canadian immigration status, and the intended U.S. activity. That list is the first document to send for a consultation, and it prevents the most expensive kind of surprise, which is discovering at the port of entry that one family member's file was built on another's facts.
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.