A spouse or unmarried child under 21 may be eligible for TD classification when accompanying or following the TN principal, but TD does not authorize employment. Each person's documents and plans still require review.
Treat TD travel as a separate family question
A family calendar should distinguish accompanying travel from independent work, study, or long-term residence plans. A spouse who expects to work needs a separate lawful basis; calling business help informal or unpaid does not settle whether it is permitted. Children approaching age 21 deserve early attention because dependent eligibility can change.
Gather marriage and birth records, passports, and prior immigration documents, and avoid making the principal's employment letter carry facts that belong in a dependent's record. List every person who may seek a benefit, travel later, or be affected by the principal's plan. Relationship evidence, age, marital status, citizenship, prior immigration history, and intended U.S.
activity can each matter. Dependent status does not automatically give every relative the same employment or study permission. A family plan is strongest when it gives each person a separate, accurate path rather than assuming the principal's classification answers all questions.
Keep a contemporaneous record of the decision and the facts used to reach it. When a document is unavailable, identify the reason and consider whether another primary record can establish the point without creating a contradiction. A later change in role, ownership, family circumstances, or planned activity may require a fresh review.
Clear disclosure is more useful than an attempt to make facts appear simpler than they are.