TD does not authorize employment. The household’s income needs do not change that permission.
Assess an independent option
Identify the spouse’s intended work and lawful basis. A temporary or unpaid role is not automatically authorized because the principal is returning to work.
Document the spouse's intended remote work in detail and confirm whether a separate work authorization route applies, rather than assuming a Canadian client relationship is irrelevant. A spouse admitted in TD status may study but cannot accept employment, perform remote services while physically in the United States, or fill shifts for the TN employer. The principal must independently hold Canadian or Mexican citizenship, credentials matching a listed USMCA profession, and prearranged professional work that excludes self-employment. TD status does allow an accompanying spouse or an unmarried child under twenty-one to study, so education plans are workable, but any employment for the spouse would need separate authorization explored with counsel in advance. School enrolment often carries the earliest deadline in the household and the least flexibility, so identify it now and treat it as the fixed point around which other dates move. Note too that TD permits study but does not authorize work, so a spouse who expects to keep working, including remotely, needs that question answered before the family plans a longer stay.