Read the general life across the border overview
Hypothetical example: a Cavan Monaghan household includes a principal applicant, a spouse holding an Ontario teaching certificate, and twins who are twenty. Each person's position rests on their own documents: civil records establishing relationships, credentials for the spouse's regulated occupation, and dates of birth that will matter more than anyone expects.
Relationship documents, obtained in proper form
Dependant status is established by civil records: a marriage certificate and each child's birth certificate, in original or certified form rather than as informal copies. Documents issued outside Canada can take months to replace, so they should be gathered early. Names that differ across documents, whether through marriage, translation or transcription, should be reconciled by whatever record explains the difference. These are unglamorous tasks that rarely appear on a household's list of concerns, and they are a common reason a file that is otherwise complete cannot be submitted on the intended date.
What a spouse may do depends on the category
The rules differ and the difference is material to a household's finances. A spouse in TD status may accompany a TN professional, reside in the United States and study, but employment is not permitted. An L-2 spouse is employment-authorized incident to status, as is a qualifying E spouse. In every one of these categories, dependent children may attend school but do not receive work permission through a parent's status. A household should settle which category is in play before building a budget around a second income, and should record what the spouse actually intends to do rather than leaving it open.
A licence is a second file, and ages are a third
Where the spouse holds a regulated occupation such as teaching, nursing or engineering, immigration permission to work does not confer permission to practise. The destination state's regulator sets its own requirements, often including verification sent directly from the Ontario body, examinations, or supervised practice, and that process is frequently the longest item in the household's plan. Separately, derivative eligibility for children generally ends at twenty-one. Where children are close to that age, the household should identify when age is assessed, take advice specific to the facts, and know in advance what each young adult's independent route would be.
What else is on your mind?
Is a matching job title enough for TN?Can years of experience replace a degree for TN?Can my own U.S. company employ me under TN?Can my spouse work if I hold TN status?Editorial source review: 2026-09-07. General preparation guidance, not an individual assessment.