TD does not authorize employment, including assuming permission merely because clients are outside the United States. Have the spouse’s proposed activity reviewed on its own facts before working. Their portfolio and professional ability do not supply immigration work authorization.
Separate the spouse’s career route from dependent study
TD permits study, but taking a design course does not automatically authorize paid projects or internships. If the spouse wants an independent professional route, assess their own citizenship, qualifications and offer rather than treating the principal’s TN case as covering both designers.
If the letter names an initial period with possible extension, treat leases, school enrolment, and a spouse's resignation as decisions tied to that period rather than to a hoped-for renewal. TD holders may attend school and, for children, this is often the main purpose, but the regulation is explicit that TD status carries no employment authorization. Confirm the relationship documents, planned travel dates, school arrangements, and whether any spouse intends to undertake paid or self-directed activity. The family should document the marriage or parent-child relationship, passports, and the principal’s status, then identify where each spouse’s customers, duties, and business operations will be located.
Keep relocation, housing and the spouse's separate planning on their own lines, since none of them changes eligibility.