A single household move can actually involve several different employment, study, and arrival plans. Record each person's citizenship, relationship, age, and intended activity before assuming that one person's status provides every permission the rest of the family needs. The principal applicant's opportunity is the starting point for the discussion, not a complete answer for everyone involved.
Describe remote work honestly as work
Hypothetical example: one St. Catharines partner has an accepted U.S. offer while the other intends to keep working remotely for a Canadian employer after the move. Put that remote activity into the review explicitly. TD status does not authorize employment, and while qualifying E or L spouses are employment-authorized incident to status, the individual's own documentation still matters; the employer's country of location does not by itself decide the question.
Separate a child's study plans from employment and age-related limits
Record a child's school or university plans together with their age and current status dates. Study can generally be permitted while TD or an E or L dependent status is properly maintained, but it does not extend an authorized stay or grant employment permission on its own. Any internship or paid activity should be reviewed as a separate question, since a spouse's employment rule cannot simply be applied to a dependent child.
Identify the real consequence of a changed date
Ask what actually happens if one family member cannot begin an intended activity, or cannot arrive, on the originally preferred date. Keep school enrollment, housing, and employment conditions available for genuine review rather than treated as fixed. For any permanent-residence plan, have visa availability and child-age questions assessed individually, since a payment or a petition filing does not, on its own, freeze eligibility for anyone in the household.
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.