Read the general life across the border overview
Hypothetical example: a Hampton engineer holds TN status through one U.S. employer and is offered a better role with another. TN is employer-specific, so the move requires a fresh application or petition rather than a resignation letter. His wife and two children hold TD status derived entirely from his, which means their position moves with his and cannot be left in place while he sorts out the change. The family's paperwork has to be sequenced along with his.
Derivative means dependent, in every sense
Hypothetical example: a Hampton engineer assumes he can start with the new employer and update the family's documents at the next renewal. TD status exists only because of his TN status with a particular employer, and it does not float free while he changes jobs. If his own status lapses, so does theirs, and a family that has fallen out of status faces consequences that are much harder to fix than to avoid, including effects on future applications. The practical rule is that the family's position should never be more secure in anyone's assumptions than the principal's actually is. Before he resigns anything, the sequence for his new status and for their continued status should be written down and confirmed.
Sequence the change so nothing lapses
Hypothetical example: the engineer's new employer offers to file a petition for change of employer, and he must decide whether to keep working for the current one meanwhile. This is the part to get advice on, because the options differ in risk. A new TN can generally be sought at a port of entry with the new employer's letter, or the new employer can file with USCIS, and the implications for continuity of status are not identical. The family's documents may need to be handled alongside his, and any period where his status is uncertain is a period where theirs is too. Plan the dates: last day with the old employer, filing or application date, first day with the new one, and what the family does in between.
Use the change as a moment to audit the household
Hypothetical example: while reorganising his own status, the engineer discovers that his older child turns 21 next year and that his wife has been offered part-time work she cannot lawfully accept in TD status. Both were true before; the employer change simply brought them into view. That is a good reason to review the whole household whenever the principal's status changes: each person's date of birth against the age limit, marital status, what each intends to do, and the dates on which anything expires. Note also that TD status permits study but never employment, which is a narrower position than the derivative status attached to some other categories, and that this difference should inform which route the family pursues next.
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.