Canadian citizenship and permanent residence are separate facts, and a PR card does not create TN eligibility. A household intending to keep Canadian employment or business responsibilities while relocating should record each person’s actual activity and physical location. TD dependants cannot work; qualifying E and L spouses may be employment-authorized incident to status, but children do not inherit that work authorization and can age out at 21. Each family member’s own activity determines the appropriate route and work permission. Use this guide as a decision tool for the family activity decision, not as a checklist that supplies a conclusion by itself. Start with a dated table of the parties, ownership or family links, proposed activity, money, locations, and the document supporting each item. The first review should produce a timeline, a list of unresolved assumptions, and a short statement of the decision the reader must make before taking the next step. Hypothetical example: a principal transferring for a dairy-robotics company plans for one parent to work remotely, another to study, and a teenager to help with online orders. The reader must decide whether the presently documented arrangement fits the selected route, or whether the facts point to a different route or a pause for more evidence. Place original records before summaries, identify who had authority to make each commitment, and separate completed transactions from future plans. Dependent status, age, relationship, and the physical location of the activity must be tested person by person; a shared move does not create one shared work authorization. A favourable label, a letter of intent, or a commercial deadline cannot replace the condition that governs the route. Recheck the analysis when any material fact changes. Keep a decision memo identifying the last verified fact, the next required record, and the event that would require the reader to stop and reassess.
Ask what each person intends to continue
Hypothetical example: the principal is proposed for a U.S. transfer while the spouse plans to retain paid Canadian remote work. Include that activity expressly, along with each person’s citizenship, relationship, age and study plans. A family travel description does not explain all intended work. Make the reader choose between the records that prove the present fact and the materials that merely predict a later event.
Apply the dependent distinctions
TD does not authorize employment, including remote work while physically in the United States. Qualifying E and L spouses may be employment-authorized incident to status with appropriate documentation; an employment authorization document is not universally required for them. Children receive no work permission solely through dependent status. TD, E and L dependents may study while maintaining applicable status. Where two explanations compete, preserve the document created closest to the event and explain the discrepancy rather than smoothing it over.
Check individual dates and evidence
Study does not extend an authorized stay. Canadian citizenship and permanent residence are separate facts; a PR card does not establish TN eligibility. Review each person’s actual admission, status documents and intended activities rather than assuming the principal’s dates or permission apply to everyone. Children generally age out of dependent eligibility at 21. For immigrant plans, assess derivative eligibility and any CSPA issue individually using actual dates and visa availability; filing does not automatically freeze age. Corporate changes and shared family goals do not decide these outcomes. Before acting, state the concrete decision, the missing condition, and the next record needed to resolve it.
Respect the order of immigrant entry
For an immigrant-visa family, the principal applicant must enter before or together with derivative family members. A preferred staggered move should be planned around that rule and each person’s actual documentation, not treated as an unrestricted choice of arrival order. A later stage may require its own proof, so retain the material that will explain how the facts developed after the first filing.
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.