No. TD does not authorize employment. The principal’s hours do not create a dependent work benefit.
Separate the household’s income plan
Assess any spouse’s own proposed work and status rather than assuming unused time or income needs change TD rules. The dependent category is for a qualifying spouse or unmarried child under 21; each person needs valid status.
TD permits study but does not authorize work, with remote work and unpaid placements requiring specific review, so a spouse's earnings are not a way to cover a delayed return. TD permits study but does not authorize employment, and that includes remote or freelance work performed while in the United States, whether the client and payment sit in Canada or elsewhere. Dependent TD steps depend on the principal's case, and if the degree route turns out to be the necessary one, retrieval of old academic records could extend the timeline meaningfully. A household weighing an offer that already carries structural uncertainty should know both facts at once, since together they describe a move where one income is conditional on an unresolved question and the other is not authorised at all.