TD does not authorize employment, and unpaid assistance is not automatically permissible.
Assess the spouse’s participation separately
Identify what the spouse would actually do. The principal’s invitation or future job does not provide the spouse a lawful work basis. TD dependants may study but may not work.
A spouse and children would generally follow under a dependent status, which does not itself authorize a spouse to work, so treat the household's arrival as a separate step with its own documentation and timing. If a spouse is relying on independent work authorization outside TD status, review whether that authorization depends on the principal's TN remaining continuously valid, and plan the transition accordingly. TD status permits accompanying and studying but does not authorize employment, including work for the same employer or remote work for a Canadian company while physically in the United States. Set out each dependent's admission record and its expiry alongside the principal's, since those dates do not always align and are not extended automatically by a school enrolment or by the principal's own extension. Obtain specific advice before any employment, remote activity or unpaid placement rather than assuming the academic records create permission. If the spouse intends to work, the family should look at the spouse's own qualifications and citizenship for an independent route, or at whether the agronomist's employer structure could support L-1, where L-2 spouses are employment-authorized incident to status.