Read the general life across the border overview
Families tend to think of an immigrant petition as one application with passengers. It is better described as one principal and several individual assessments that happen to travel together, each with its own eligibility question and its own dates. Setting them out side by side before filing usually reveals one person whose position is different from everyone else’s, and that person is the one whose planning cannot wait.
The principal, and what conditional residence means
Hypothetical example: Hélène sold her industrial-sewing and upholstery business near Saint-Cyrille-de-Wendover and is investing in a qualifying enterprise in Georgia. If her petition succeeds she and her qualifying family are admitted to permanent residence on a conditional basis for two years, and within the ninety days before the second anniversary she files Form I-829 to remove conditions, showing the capital remained at risk and the required jobs were created or will be within a reasonable time. Two facts get lost in the excitement. Conditional residence is real residence with real obligations, and permanent residence is not citizenship — naturalisation is a separate process with its own requirements.
The spouse and the child who fits
Hélène’s husband Gordon is a Canadian citizen born in Scotland; his birthplace and his dual citizenship are facts to disclose but neither changes his position as her spouse. He is a derivative, obtains conditional residence with her, and may work in the United States without a separate sponsor because he holds residence rather than a dependent nonimmigrant status — a genuinely different position from the L-2 or E-2 spouse who is employment-authorized incident to status. Their sixteen-year-old is an unmarried child under 21 and is likewise a derivative, may attend school, and will be included when conditions are removed. His birthday is far enough away that it needs recording rather than solving.
The child who does not fit, and what to do about it
Their elder daughter turned twenty-one last spring. Derivative eligibility runs to unmarried children under 21, so she is outside the definition, and whether any statutory age calculation assists her is a question for counsel on her specific dates rather than an assumption. Practically, she needs her own route: a student status if she will study, or a work-based classification if she qualifies for one on her own merits. Two related points are worth telling any young adult in a household like this. Marriage ends derivative eligibility regardless of age. And a family member cannot be quietly added later, so the arithmetic done before filing has to include everyone the household expects to bring.
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.