Canadian citizenship and Canadian permanent residence are separate facts, and a PR card does not create TN eligibility. A spouse or child may be eligible to accompany a principal without being authorized to perform planned work; dependent children generally age out at 21. Record each person’s intended activity, including unpaid assistance, because each family member’s own activity determines the route and required permission. The household decision is to identify each person's intended work, study, travel, and immigration benefit before the principal's plan creates an expectation that cannot lawfully be met. Hypothetical example: A Canadian children’s-book illustrator plans a U.S. transfer, while her spouse wants to operate a small online stationery shop and their nineteen-year-old hopes for paid work. The family must decide each activity under the person's own status rather than treating accompaniment as a single permission.
Review work under the specific dependent category
TD status does not permit employment, although TD dependants may study. Qualifying E and L spouses may be authorized incident to status with the appropriate evidence; dependent children do not receive the same employment permission through those categories. A pending principal case does not establish those statuses. Create a person-by-person activity chart and verify the actual dependent category. TD status does not allow employment; qualifying L and E spouses may receive work authorization through their status when they hold the appropriate evidence, but children do not gain that same work permission.
Calculate immigrant applicants accurately
Confirm citizenship, relationship, age and any applicable age protection. A US-citizen child does not need an immigrant benefit, while an older child may need separate analysis. Do not assume that adding money to an investor budget resolves a derivative-eligibility problem. Decide which family members are applicants before budgeting an immigrant route. Gather birth, marriage, passport, and status records early, especially where a child is near twenty-one or a household member already has U.S. citizenship.
Build the move around actual documents
Track each person’s status and procedure, not just the principal’s expected decision. Immigrant derivatives enter with or after the principal. Work, study and Canadian obligations should be considered separately so a common travel date does not conceal an unresolved requirement. Build travel and employment commitments around completed documentation, not a hoped-for principal approval. A family member may need a different procedure, and Canadian tax or residence obligations require their own advice even when the move date is shared.
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.