Read the general life across the border overview
A Châteauguay family may travel together but receive individual admission records. Check the actual category and dates for each person instead of assuming every record matches the principal’s. A first review should produce a person-by-person status plan showing the principal’s category, every dependent’s relationship evidence, the intended activity of each traveller and the admission record to check after entry. Make this before travel dates are fixed. The key decision is whether a family member can accompany as a dependent, needs a separate category, or must postpone work, study or travel plans.
Compare the record to the intended status
Keep each person’s relevant admission evidence and compare it with the actual approved or intended category. If something appears incorrect, seek the appropriate correction process promptly rather than altering the document or assuming the principal’s record overrides it. Read the entry record together with the underlying approval or entry documents, but do not substitute one for the other. Record the class of admission, the authorized-until date and the person’s passport details. If the record does not match the intended status, preserve the evidence and seek the appropriate correction promptly; a later family filing does not automatically repair an earlier admission error.
Verify work permission before relying on it
TD does not authorize employment. A qualifying E or L spouse may work incident to valid dependent status with the appropriate spouse-specific I-94 evidence. Dependent children do not receive that spousal benefit. A family’s joint entry does not itself establish everyone’s work authorization. Before accepting an offer or beginning remote tasks, describe exactly who will pay, direct and receive the work. A TD spouse cannot work merely because the principal has TN status. An eligible E or L spouse may have work authorization incident to status when the admission evidence supports it, but dependent children do not gain that spousal work benefit. The family must make this decision separately for each proposed activity.
Track individual dates and eligibility
Dependent children generally must be unmarried and under 21 in these temporary categories. Monitor each person’s authorized stay and changing circumstances. A shared travel booking or a school’s calendar does not extend an admission period. Hypothetical example: The spouse of a forensic animation studio director plans to edit client files from the United States while accompanying the principal. The household must decide what work would actually occur, whether the spouse has independent authorization for it, and which admission record proves that authority. A shared move and a foreign payroll do not answer those questions by themselves.
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.