TD does not authorize employment. A family relationship or supporting role does not create a work exception.
Assess the spouse’s actual proposal
Identify any independent category and necessary process before work. A separate invoice or Canadian payer does not by itself resolve permission. The dependent category is for a qualifying spouse or unmarried child under 21; each person needs valid status.
TD status does not authorise employment in the United States, and remote work performed from inside the country raises questions that depend on the specific facts. A TD dependant may enrol in school or university, may hold a bank account and may live in the United States for as long as the principal's admission runs, but any employment, paid or unpaid in substance, is outside the status. The location of the person doing the work is what matters, so a drafting practice operated from a house in an American county is employment in the United States and TD does not permit it. TN workers and their dependents may qualify for a limited discretionary grace period after employment ends; the actual end date, admission validity and individual circumstances determine the next steps.