Read the general life across the border overview
Each family member's route follows their own relationship to the principal, their own age and their own intended activity. A blended Shannon household needs the stepchild relationship documented, the remote-working partner's authorization resolved rather than assumed, and any family member whose location is set by another employer recorded as a fact outside the plan. The principal's category sets the options; the paperwork per person makes them real.
Prove every relationship the way the category defines it
Hypothetical example: a Shannon aircraft-maintenance planner accepts an L-1B transfer to a Georgia affiliate. His wife has a daughter from an earlier marriage, aged fifteen, and the couple have a son together, aged nine. For L-2 purposes a stepchild qualifies as a child if the marriage creating the relationship took place before the child turned eighteen, so the marriage certificate date and the daughter's birth certificate together prove her eligibility. The son's birth certificate proves his. Any custody order or consent from the daughter's other parent for her to live abroad should be obtained, since it may be requested at the border or the consulate. Each person's passport and nationality are listed separately.
Resolve the spouse's remote work and note what is outside the review
The planner's wife runs a payroll-services business for Québec clients from home. As an L-2 spouse she is employment-authorized incident to status, so continuing that business from Georgia is permitted from an immigration standpoint, though tax residence, professional registration and client contracts are separate questions to raise before she moves. If instead the principal were on TN, her TD status would not permit that work, and the household would need a different answer. Where a family member's posting is decided by an employer, as is common in Shannon, the plan records that person's situation as governed elsewhere and does not attempt to predict it. Children may study on L-2 and may not work.
Sequence admissions and diarize the dates that end things
The principal is admitted first on the approved petition; Canadian-citizen dependants may apply at a port of entry with the approval notice, and non-Canadian dependants need consular visas, which should be booked as soon as the approval issues. The daughter's twenty-first birthday, six years away, is beyond the L-1B five-year limit, but the family should still note it alongside the principal's expiry. Put school enrolment, the spouse's business registration and the extension petition after the initial period on one calendar. If the family expects to remain, the employer's willingness to sponsor permanent residence should be asked about early, because L-1B ends at five years and dependants' status ends with it.
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.