Read the general life across the border overview
Hypothetical example: Joachim would move to the United States as a treaty investor. His wife Lucie is a Canadian citizen who wants to work for an American employer, their son is sixteen, and Lucie's mother, who lives with them, expects to come too. The household thinks of this as one application. It is four assessments, and only two of the four people are covered by Joachim's status at all.
The spouse and the child are derivatives; the parent is not
A spouse and unmarried children under 21 may accompany a treaty investor as derivatives. A parent may not: no derivative category exists for a principal's mother or father in these routes, so Lucie's mother needs a status of her own, and visiting is not the same as living there. Lucie's position is better than many spouses expect, because the spouse of a treaty investor is employment-authorized incident to that status and may work for an American employer without a separate permit. The son may accompany and may study. Each of those answers comes from a different rule, which is why treating the move as a single application produces surprises.
Ages are dates, and dates should be in the plan
The son is sixteen, so derivative status covers him for five more years and then stops, because the limit is unmarried children under 21. If the family expects to still be in the United States when he is twenty-two, his own route should be identified while there is time to arrange it, most often a student status with its own admission and funding requirements. Where an immigrant route is involved instead of a temporary one, a different calculation can apply to a child's age, and it depends on filing and visa-availability dates rather than on birthdays alone. Either way, the useful step now is a written list of every family member with their age on the expected date of each step.
Each person's own activity decides their route
The rule that unifies all of this is that immigration status follows what a person will do, not who they are related to. A spouse who intends to work is asking about work authorization; a child who intends to study full time may need a status of their own; a parent who intends to live there is asking a question no derivative category answers. It also matters that citizenship and permanent residence remain distinct for every individual: permanent residence is not citizenship, and a family member's Canadian permanent resident card does not make them a Canadian citizen for the categories that test nationality.
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.