Read the general life across the border overview
Hypothetical example: Vidal is a Canadian citizen and a recreational therapist in Minden Hills who has accepted a post at an American rehabilitation hospital. His wife Ronke is a registered veterinary technician with twelve years in practice, and their elder daughter turns 21 in eleven months. The household has been treating the move as one decision. It is three: his route, her right to work, and their daughter's own status, and only the first of them is answered by his offer letter.
His route is the straightforward one
Recreational Therapist is named in USMCA Appendix 2 and the profession's rule is satisfied by a baccalaureate degree, which Vidal holds. As a Canadian citizen he can seek admission without a visa on the strength of his passport, the hospital's letter and his degree documents, or the hospital can file a petition and he can present the approval. The admission is for a period not exceeding three years, tied to the work described, and it does not permit him to be self-employed in the United States. None of this says anything about the other two people at the table.
Her occupation is not on the list, and dependant status will not rescue it
Veterinary technician does not appear in Appendix 2. Depth of experience does not create eligibility, because the category reaches listed professions rather than skilled occupations generally, and there is no equivalent entry she can be fitted into. Admitted as Vidal's spouse she may live in the United States and may study, but that status carries no permission to work in any form, including remote work for a Canadian employer performed from an American address. If Ronke intends to keep earning, the realistic options are an employer willing to sponsor her in a category that fits, a student route leading to a different qualification, or the household planning around one income.
Their daughter needs her own plan before the birthday, not after
Dependant eligibility for a child ends at 21, and it ends whether or not the parents' status continues. Eleven months is enough time to arrange a student route with its own admission and enrolment requirements, and not enough to arrange it comfortably if the family waits until the summer. It is also worth being precise about a distinction that trips up many households: Canadian citizenship and Canadian permanent residence are separate facts, and each person's own citizenship and intended activity determine what is open to them. A parent's category is never inherited as a right to work or to remain.
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.