TD does not authorize employment, including remote work performed while physically in the United States.
Do not treat a small schedule as permission
The number of hours or foreign payment source does not create TD work rights. Review the spouse’s actual proposed activity and any independent basis. The dependent framework generally covers a spouse and unmarried children under 21; each person must obtain and maintain the appropriate status.
Some households manage the risk by having the Canadian business run day to day by an on-site manager, with the spouse holding only an ownership interest and taking distributions rather than a salary for services performed while present. If a spouse expects to work, discuss that as a separate authorization question, since TD status alone does not provide it, and coordinate school or childcare timing around the same two-checkpoint sequence as the principal case. The family should document the marriage or parent-child relationship, passports, and the principal’s status, then identify where each spouse’s customers, duties, and business operations will be located.