Ownership, financial support and immigration permission are separate questions. Canadian citizenship and permanent residence are separate, and a PR card does not confer TN eligibility. When a household plans to move equipment or operate a business, identify each person’s intended activities and status; each family member’s own activity determines the required route. TD dependants cannot work, E and L dependent children do not share spousal work authorization, and children may age out at 21. The decision is not whether the household shares an asset or a business plan; it is what each person will actually do and whether their own status permits it. Prepare an individual activity chart with location, time, payment, beneficiary, and status record for every family member. Keep travel, schooling, ownership, and business functions distinct. Dependent permissions differ by classification, so a principal’s authority or a spouse’s work eligibility cannot automatically be applied to another relative. Hypothetical example: A commercial-diving instructor would manage a shop, the spouse would schedule clients, and a teenage child would clean and maintain gear. The decision is whether each task is permitted under that individual’s status, and the activity chart—not the family relationship—supplies the starting evidence.
List the actual activities person by person
Hypothetical example: a principal plans to manage a business, a spouse would maintain its accounts and an adult child would install equipment. Record where the work would occur, who receives the benefit and any payment. Avoid describing all three simply as accompanying family when their plans include different business responsibilities. Describe concrete tasks rather than using labels such as helping, accompanying, or volunteering. Client communications, recordkeeping, equipment installation, sales, and supervision can raise different questions. A calendar, job description, payment record, and access log may settle whether an activity is connected to a business.
Apply the status-specific permissions
TD permits study but not employment. Qualifying E and L spouses may work incident to valid status with appropriate evidence, while dependent children do not share that benefit. A person in one classification cannot borrow another classification’s permissions. Unpaid activities should be assessed on their facts rather than assumed universally permitted or barred. Check the person’s own admission record and classification before planning work or study. A spouse’s permission where available is tied to that spouse’s valid status and evidence; dependent children do not automatically receive the same benefit. Do not transfer a rule from TN, E, or L status without checking the actual classification.
Coordinate legal and practical arrangements
Identify each person’s citizenship, relationship, age where relevant and existing status records. Ask what independent route may be needed for intended work. Keep shipment dates, housing and business opening plans separate from immigration authorization. A family contribution or travel reservation does not establish that everyone may begin work when the assets arrive. Canadian permanent residence is distinct from citizenship, and a PR card does not create TN eligibility. Children may age out at 21, and each person’s own activity determines the route. Sequence personal planning after the activity review: identify any independent work route, then set business start dates and travel commitments accordingly. A signed lease, shipping date, or family budget is not work authorization. This avoids putting a relative into an active business role before the legal basis is confirmed.
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.