One person wants to accept a position, another wants to continue working in Canada, and a child hopes to finish the school year. These plans can be discussed together without assuming one timetable suits everyone. Prepare a record for each person distinguishing decisions, preferences and open questions. A first review makes a person-by-person table of passport citizenship, present status, intended activity, location, start date, and the document that confirms each fact. It identifies which plan can wait and which needs its own advice before money changes hands or work begins. Hypothetical example: a conservator of wooden carousel figures accepts a U.S. contract while a spouse intends to keep teaching virtual courses from the new home and their teenager plans to attend school. The household must decide whether each activity is permitted by the individual’s available status before agreeing to the move.
Name the intended activities
For each person, describe where they intend to live, work or study. Do not replace these activities with a generic accompanying-family label. TD status does not authorize employment. Qualifying E and L dependent spouses are employment-authorized incident to their status; review the status and documentation applicable to the individual. Do not infer permission from where the employer is located. Where a TN plan is relevant, the principal needs a qualifying, prearranged professional position. A Canadian citizen can generally seek classification when seeking admission or preclearance; in an appropriate case, the employer may instead petition USCIS on Form I-129. The category does not permit self-employment.
Identify linked decisions
Ask which decisions depend on the principal applicant’s outcome and which require separate analysis. A spouse may have an employment opportunity deserving its own assessment. Keep household preferences distinct from legal conditions. This conversation identifies the questions; it does not let someone select a status merely because it fits the school calendar. Compare documents against one another before relying on the preferred schedule. An offer letter may establish an anticipated assignment; a marriage certificate proves relationship; an I-94 or approval notice records a prior admission or approval. When dates disagree, preserve them and obtain an explanation rather than choosing the convenient version. This can show whether a person must postpone work, use an independent option, or change the activity.
Avoid commitments based on an assumption
Before confirming a move, record the conditions attached to housing, employment and school arrangements. Identify whom to contact if departure changes. Include known age-related or immigration-status deadlines for household members. Have their consequences assessed before assuming that enrolment or a booking extends an authorized stay. For an L-based plan, verify before timing the household around a transfer that the worker has one qualifying year abroad during the prior three years; L-1A has a seven-year maximum stay and L-1B five. The qualifying relationship and actual proposed role need their own evidence. Make a child’s school registration or a lease conditional where possible until the relevant status question has been assessed.
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.