Read the general life across the border overview
Hypothetical example: a Coalhurst family is preparing for a transfer. The principal is a Canadian citizen; the spouse is a Brazilian citizen with Canadian permanent residence; one child is the principal's stepchild. Every one of those facts changes something, and a plan built around the principal alone will meet each of them late, at the worst possible moment.
A permanent resident spouse does not travel on the principal's advantages
Several procedural conveniences available to Canadian citizens do not extend to a spouse who holds Canadian permanent residence but another citizenship. That spouse may need to apply for a visa at a consular post, with its own appointment, its own documents and its own timeline, even where the principal can be dealt with more directly. Identify this at the beginning and start the spouse's process in parallel, because a family that discovers it a fortnight before departure will travel separately or not at all. Ask the post handling the spouse's application what its current appointment availability looks like before any departure date is discussed with an employer or a school.
Derivative rights differ between the spouse and the children
In some categories a spouse is employment-authorized incident to status, which is a substantial benefit. Children admitted as derivatives may generally attend school but are not employment-authorized on that basis, and any job would require an independent lawful basis. Derivative eligibility ends at twenty-one regardless of the length of the assignment. Write each family member on a separate line with citizenship, intended status, whether they intend to work or study, and their date of birth, and check the plan against that table rather than against a general impression. Revisit that table at every extension as well, because a child who was fifteen when the assignment began may be approaching the age limit by the time it is renewed.
Stepchildren and other relationships need their own evidence
Family relationships have to be documented, and the documents are not always the obvious ones. A stepchild relationship depends on the marriage and its date as well as on the birth certificate. Adoption, guardianship, a parent's earlier marriage or a child living with another parent each raise questions that are answered with records rather than with explanations. Gather birth certificates, marriage certificates, any decree of divorce and custody documents early, obtain certified translations where needed, and check that names are consistent across all of them. Where a former spouse's consent is needed for a child to relocate, treat that as a step with its own timeline rather than as a formality to be handled at the end.
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.