The real arrangement should be described accurately; changing a name on paper should not be used to conceal actual control or obligations.
Review both people’s roles honestly
TD does not authorize the spouse’s employment. Ownership arrangements and work permission are separate questions, and a family label does not resolve either automatically. TD dependants may study but may not work.
The spouse and unmarried children under 21 of a TN professional may be admitted in TD status, which allows them to live in the United States and to study but not to work for anyone, including remotely for a Canadian employer while physically present. The family should document the marriage or parent-child relationship, passports, and the principal’s status, then identify where each spouse’s customers, duties, and business operations will be located. Review the dependent’s own admission validity and the principal’s status if employment changes; do not assume any interruption causes immediate loss without checking applicable protections. If the promotion changes the household’s location or income expectations, identify the spouse’s actual proposed activity and have an appropriate work basis assessed before committing. A spouse or child would travel in a dependent status carrying no independent work authorisation for the spouse, so any employment plan a spouse holds needs its own assessment on its own facts rather than being folded into the principal's case.