TD does not authorize employment. A professional licence alone does not change that restriction; the spouse’s actual status and possible independent category need assessment.
Separate professional and immigration permission
Identify the spouse’s intended duties and actual records. A credential can be relevant without authorizing work under TD. The dependent category is for a qualifying spouse or unmarried child under 21; each person needs valid status.
If the spouse intends to keep earning, raise it with counsel early, since an independent basis takes its own preparation time and may affect whether the move makes sense on one income. TD status permits residence and study but authorizes no employment of any kind, and remote work for Canadian clients performed while physically in the United States is still work. Decide before travel whether the spouse will refrain from employment or seek an independently available authorization, and do not let an employer’s preferred start date answer that legal question. A spouse who spends long stretches in Canada does not gain work permission in the US by holding TD, and remote or unpaid work is not automatically outside that limit; that question belongs with counsel.