TD does not authorize employment. Calling work informal help or paying from Canada does not itself permit services performed in the United States.
Keep the client’s staffing plan separate from family accompaniment
Eligible spouses and unmarried children under 21 may seek TD and may study, but the principal’s consulting permission is not shared employment authorization. Describe the spouse’s actual planned activities and assess a suitable independent basis before including that contribution in the engagement.
Relationship evidence is what supports a spouse's or an unmarried child under twenty-one's TD eligibility, so those documents need the same care: full translation, original preserved, names spelled consistently across every record. A spouse who intends to work needs a route of their own, assessed on their own occupation and qualifications, which may be a separate professional request if their occupation is listed and they hold the qualification the entry names, or a different category entirely. TD status carries no work authorization at any point, so a partner holding it cannot take American employment, freelance, or continue working remotely for a Canadian employer from inside the country.