A split household is a common arrangement and is simply described as it is. A spouse and unmarried children under 21 may qualify for TD if and when they join, with steps that depend on their own nationality, and a US-citizen child does not need TD.
Decide each person's position separately
Work out who is moving, when, and in what capacity, rather than treating the family as a single unit. A spouse who stays for their own employment is making a separate decision, and one who joins later applies on their own timeline. TD permits study but does not authorize work, including remote work for a Canadian employer, so a spouse planning to keep earning needs advice before assuming the arrangement carries over.
The decision is usually framed around the offered salary, when the relevant figure is what the household will actually have. A licence may be relevant to a qualifying professional route, but citizenship, duties, the employment arrangement and practice rules still require assessment. An eligible spouse and unmarried children under twenty-one may hold TD and may attend school while in that status. The usual mistake is relying on the employer’s invitation instead of analyzing the spouse’s own conduct and status.