TD does not authorize employment, regardless of the position’s grade.
Assess a separate lawful work basis
The principal’s employer may offer an opportunity without providing the spouse’s permission. Review the actual proposed activity and independent route rather than rely on a shared employer.
Plan each family member’s activity before travel. The principal must independently show Canadian or Mexican citizenship, a listed USMCA profession, the profession’s required qualifications and prearranged employment that is not US self-employment. Marriage and birth records support TD relationships, but TD spouses and children cannot work; study is permitted. Canadian permanent residence alone creates neither TN nor TD citizenship eligibility. The common planning failure is accepting a spouse’s job offer first and assuming the principal’s employer can extend permission informally. If the spouse intends to earn, identify a separate classification and its own evidence before any work begins. A Canadian principal may use entry inspection or employer-filed Form I-129.
Hypothetical example: a technical publications writer from the Canton of Hatley qualifies for a TN assignment, while her husband hopes to take paid illustration projects from the same US company. Entering in TD would allow him to accompany her but not invoice for artwork, even from home. The couple should collect their marriage certificate and status records, then assess whether his proposed activity supports an independent work-authorized route. A junior designation on his offer changes nothing. Their budget should assume no earnings from him unless that separate permission is secured.