Read the general life across the border overview
Hypothetical example: a Lake Country panel-fabrication specialist is transferring to a Montana affiliate on L-1B for a planned four years. His wife, a licensed practical nurse, wants to work; their son is 17 and hopes to earn money in summers; their daughter is 20 and finishing a diploma. Each has a different answer. The spouse is employment-authorised incident to L-2 status. Neither child may work. The daughter's L-2 status ends on her 21st birthday, which falls within the assignment, and she will need her own basis to stay.
The spouse: authorised to work, but licensed to practise separately
Since USCIS recognised L-2 spouses as employment-authorised incident to status, the wife may take a job in Montana as soon as she is admitted in L-2 status, and an employment authorisation document is optional for employer convenience. Whether she can work as a nurse is a separate state licensing question: Montana will require its own licence or a compact privilege, and that process should start before the move. Her employer may ask for the EAD card, so applying for one on arrival under the current fee schedule avoids delay. Her authorisation lasts as long as her L-2 status, which depends on her husband's L-1B, capped at five years in total.
The son: school yes, summer jobs no
A 17-year-old L-2 child may enrol in school in Montana without any additional permission. He may not work, and a summer job at a hardware store or a farm is employment even if paid in cash, with consequences for his status and for later applications. If he wants US work experience he should wait until he holds a status that allows it. He will remain an L-2 dependant until he turns 21 or marries, whichever comes first; on the family's four-year plan he will be 21 in the final year, so the calendar should note that date as well. University enrolment before that point may position him for a student visa afterwards.
The daughter: plan her independent status now
At 20, the daughter can accompany the family in L-2 status and study, but on her 21st birthday that status ends automatically. If she wishes to remain, the usual route is to enrol in a US college and change status to F-1 before the birthday, which requires an admission letter, proof of funds and a timely filing. If she prefers to stay in Lake Country, nothing is lost, but the family should decide early rather than in the month before she turns 21. Her Canadian citizenship, if she has it, would make TN available later if she completes a listed professional qualification and has an offer; a permanent-resident card would not. Each member's route is their own.
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.