Read the general life across the border overview
A family can investigate schools before deciding on a U.S. move, but a school place does not establish immigration status. Build a separate record for each child and accompanying adult. Keep educational preferences, entry requirements and any proposed work from becoming one assumed permission. Hypothetical example: the spouse of a flute-repair workshop owner plans to accept paid online customer bookings after the family arrives. Before budgeting that income, the household must decide which status each adult will hold and whether it authorizes the planned activity. School arrangements, a dependent’s status and work permission are separate records; a child’s enrolment does not extend the principal’s admission.
Identify the child’s proposed status
Record the principal’s category, the child’s age and relationship, citizenship and intended period abroad. Qualifying dependants in TN families may use TD, but eligibility and the visa procedure still need review. Do not interpret an enrolment email as proof that the child can enter or remain for the whole school year. TD permits study; school admission still does not grant TD or extend its validity. Make an individual timeline for every traveller showing passport validity, requested status period, age-related date and school start. The family must decide who travels together and who needs a different procedure.
Check the adults’ work plans
TD does not permit employment. Qualifying E and L dependent spouses can be authorized incident to valid status with the appropriate evidence; children do not obtain that spouse authorization. Explain any adult’s planned work, including remote activity while physically in the United States, before budgeting the household around it. Describe each adult’s paid and unpaid activities before arrival, including remote services for an existing business. A dependent classification does not convert a work plan into permitted activity merely because the employer or clients are elsewhere.
Plan for changes during the school year
Track status expiry and family eligibility separately from term dates. Flag approaching age limits or changes in the principal’s situation promptly. For immigrant derivatives, the principal generally enters first or together; any relevant age protection requires individual assessment. A school calendar does not extend immigration permission. Keep copies of admission records and relationship evidence with an alert for changes in the principal’s status. A school calendar is useful for planning, but it cannot resolve a status expiration or derivative eligibility problem.
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.