TD does not authorize employment. Dividing the job between spouses does not provide a workaround.
Keep the staffing plan real
Identify who will lawfully perform each task. A pending family plan or unpaid assistance does not automatically authorize US work.
TD is a dependant status: the spouse and unmarried children under twenty-one may accompany the TN professional, enrol in school and remain for the same period, but the status carries no work authorization. TD dependants may enroll in study, including full-time academic programs, but TD status does not carry employment authorization, and this does not change no matter how many separate turnaround assignments the principal applicant completes over a year. If the spouse intends to work, assess an independent authorization route rather than treating a family relationship or foreign payment arrangement as sufficient. TD status carries no employment authorization of any kind, and working remotely for a Canadian employer while physically present in the United States is still work performed in the United States. Decide before travel whether the spouse will refrain from employment or seek an independently available authorization, and do not let an employer’s preferred start date answer that legal question. If the promotion changes the household’s location or income expectations, identify the spouse’s actual proposed activity and have an appropriate work basis assessed before committing.