TD does not authorize employment. An additional principal engagement does not create a spouse work benefit. Review each family member’s actual status and intended activities.
Separate household convenience from status
A spouse’s willingness to help coordinate the two roles is not itself permission to work. Identify real duties and any independent category being considered. The dependent framework generally covers a spouse and unmarried children under 21; each person must obtain and maintain the appropriate status.
If the self-employment question is unresolved, avoid finalizing dependent travel, schooling, or housing plans around this offer until the employment structure is confirmed as qualifying. Confirm each family member's citizenship and civil documents early, since nationality determines which steps apply and marriage or birth certificates may need translation. TD dependants may study but cannot work, so invoicing through a Canadian account, serving the principal’s client, working remotely, or declining wages does not by itself make the activity permissible. TD carries no work authorization at any point, so a partner who intends to keep earning needs an independent status that permits it, and the relationship must be a legally recognized marriage because a common-law partner has no derivative eligibility at all.