Read the general eligibility basics overview
A Châteauguay household may include a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident with another citizenship and children with more than one nationality. Record each person’s actual citizenship instead of applying the principal’s documents to everyone. Start with a household matrix that records citizenship, Canadian immigration status, passport expiry, relationship and intended U.S. activity for every traveller. The first review should identify which person can be the principal under the proposed category and which people need a different route or separate documentation. A Canadian permanent-resident card settles Canadian status; it does not establish citizenship for a U.S. temporary category.
Evaluate the principal’s category first
TN requires Canadian or Mexican citizenship for the principal. Canadian permanent residence alone is insufficient. E-2 depends on treaty nationality and the qualifying enterprise and investment; L has separate employment, company-relationship and U.S.-role tests. Put the category tests beside the principal’s actual records before comparing convenience. For TN, the passport and qualifying profession evidence answer different questions. For E-2, examine nationality, ownership and committed funds; for L, begin with the foreign employment history and the company relationship. This sequence avoids spending money on a business plan before the principal’s threshold condition is known.
Assess relatives under the dependent rules
Do not assume every dependent must have the principal’s citizenship, or that relatives automatically share any visa exemption. The family’s relationship, nationality, proposed status and entry process require their own assessment. A shared address is not proof of an eligible spouse or child relationship. For each relative, collect the civil record that proves the claimed relationship and check the person’s own intended activities. A spouse’s ability to work, and a child’s continued dependency, follow the applicable status rules rather than the family’s Canadian residence. Make the concrete decision before travel: who enters as a dependent, who seeks a separate category, and who will not work until authorized.
Make a person-by-person document plan
List actual travel documents, civil evidence and proposed category for each person. Resolve differences before booking a joint itinerary. A household can share a moving goal without having identical visa-document requirements. Hypothetical example: A restoration-bookbinder is a Canadian citizen, while her spouse holds Canadian permanent residence and Irish citizenship. Their first decision is not whether they share a home; it is whether her prospective category supports the spouse as a dependent or whether the spouse needs an independently available classification. Passports, the marriage record and the planned work activities are the starting records.
What else is on your mind?
Does Canadian permanent residence give me access to TN?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?Editorial source review: 2026-09-07. General preparation guidance, not an individual assessment.