No. Dependants admitted in TD status may live in the United States and may study, but the status carries no work authorization at any point and none can be added to it. A spouse who intends to earn needs a status of their own that permits employment, obtained on their own facts.
TD is a residence and study status, never a work status
The restriction is absolute rather than a matter of degree. A spouse in TD status could not take a local job, take on contract work, or continue drawing a salary from an Ontario employer while sitting at a desk in the United States. Households often plan around a second income surviving the move, and this is where that plan breaks.
Two further points shape the picture. The relationship must be a legally recognized marriage, so a common-law partner does not qualify as a spouse for these purposes and needs an independent route. A child ceases to qualify as a dependant at 21, which matters to any family with an older teenager who expects to stay through college.
Where the second salary is not optional, the comparison worth running is against L-2 and E-2 spouses, who are employment-authorized incident to status.
- USCIS: TN NAFTA Professionals
- U.S. Department of State: USMCA professional workers
- Department of State: 9 FAM 402.17, TN and TD guidance
- USTR: USMCA Chapter 16, Temporary Entry for Business Persons, Appendix 2
- eCFR: 8 CFR 214.6, Citizens of Canada or Mexico seeking temporary entry as business persons
- USCIS: Form G-1055, Fee Schedule