Read the general life across the border overview
A Sainte-Rose-du-Nord household should assess each person’s work permission and investor-programme obligations separately from internal business arrangements. A first review should make a person-by-person table of status, relationship document, age, planned activity, travel timing, and expected funding. It should identify the exact decision each person faces, rather than assuming that a principal’s permission extends to household work or business access. Hypothetical example: A vintage-map restoration studio wants the principal’s spouse to answer U.S. customer messages after arrival. The family must decide whether that activity is authorized for that spouse’s actual status before including it in the operating plan.
Do not substitute company permission for lawful work status
TD does not authorize employment. Qualifying E and L spouses may work incident to appropriate status with required evidence; children do not receive those spouse rights. A confidentiality agreement, access to an overseas team or a customer’s request for help does not itself authorize services performed from the United States. Begin with the principal’s actual classification and then assess each relative independently. A TN principal needs Canadian or Mexican citizenship, qualifying work for an eligible U.S. employer, and the profession-specific evidence; TN does not permit self-employment through the applicant’s controlled U.S. enterprise. A Canadian may request classification at entry inspection or preclearance, while an eligible employer can use an I-129 petition. A household plan cannot cure a principal’s missing condition.
Keep included family members and excluded jobs clear
EB-5 excludes the investor, spouse and children from its qualifying job count, even if they appear in a broader staffing metric. Eligible children generally must be unmarried and under 21, with individual CSPA review; immigrant-visa derivatives enter with or after the principal. Gold Card adds US$1 million plus US$15,000 nonrefundable processing for each eligible included spouse or child, including corporate cases; a private relocation allowance does not waive those amounts. For EB-5, keep the investment and qualifying employment analysis separate from derivative family eligibility; capital remains at risk and conditional permanent residence follows the applicable process. For Gold Card, the applicant makes the required payment to the U.S. government under official instructions, and Gold Card is not a conventional visa. Review each child’s age and relationship record individually. A family budget or private relocation benefit does not establish immigration status.
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.