Read the general life across the border overview
Hypothetical example: Daniel is a Canadian industrial engineer at a Logan Lake mine-services company with a TN offer from a U.S. plant. His wife Kate is a Canadian dental hygienist who intends to keep working. Their son Liam is 20 and wants to finish college in the United States. Each of the three has a different answer under the same federal rules: Daniel qualifies on his own credentials, Kate cannot work in TD status but may have her own TN route, and Liam's TD status ends the day he turns 21. This guide walks through the three files together.
Daniel: the TN principal and his employer letter
Engineer is a listed profession and Daniel's bachelor's degree meets its credential rule; his Canadian citizenship gives him the port-of-entry procedure without a visa stamp. The employer letter must describe engineering duties such as process design and production-system analysis rather than line supervision, state the salary and a period up to three years, and confirm temporary intent. He may not be self-employed in the United States, and any ownership he holds in the employer must be disclosed. His admission is the foundation for the other two, because Kate's and Liam's TD status exists only while his TN status does. A refusal at the port therefore affects all three, which is the reason to get his letter right before anyone else's plans are made.
Kate: TD does not permit work, but her own TN might
In TD status Kate could accompany Daniel and study, but she could not practise or take any employment, including remote work for her Logan Lake clinic. Dental Hygienist is, however, a listed profession requiring a degree or a state or provincial licence. If a U.S. dental practice offers her a position and she obtains the state licence that practice requires, she can apply for TN in her own right at the port of entry with her own employer letter and credentials. That makes her status independent of Daniel's, which also protects her if his employment ends. State dental-hygiene licensing involves its own examinations and timelines and is not an immigration matter, so she should start that process before the move rather than after.
Liam: the calendar decides
Liam qualifies for TD as an unmarried child under 21 and may study in that status. On his twenty-first birthday TD ends, regardless of where he is in his degree. The practical plan is to change to F-1 student status before that date, which requires admission to a school certified to issue the Form I-20, proof of funds, and a timely application to USCIS or a departure and re-entry with a student visa. He should not wait for the birthday. If he later wants to work, F-1 offers limited on-campus and practical-training options, whereas TD offers none. Note that Canadian permanent residence or citizenship of a parent has no bearing here: each family member's status turns on their own citizenship, age and activity.
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.