TD does not authorize employment. A customer’s request or the principal’s workload does not create a spouse work benefit.
Assess the actual second role
Identify duties and any independent category before work begins. A family or administrative label does not itself determine permission. The dependent category is for a qualifying spouse or unmarried child under 21; each person needs valid status.
If the spouse intends to keep working remotely, including for an employer or family business based in the region, record that explicitly rather than assuming rural residence changes the analysis. List who will answer customer messages, supervise caregivers, invoice families, update schedules, and make management decisions while the spouse is physically in the United States. TD dependants may study but cannot work, so invoicing through a Canadian account, serving the principal’s client, working remotely, or declining wages does not by itself make the activity permissible. If the spouse has a genuine job offer, review a separate immigration category and its timing rather than describing productive services as casual remote assistance. Note that TD permits study but does not authorize work, and proposed remote or unpaid activities require specific review, so a spouse's own credentials serve their plans rather than the TN file.