A spouse accompanying a treaty investor is employment-authorized incident to that status and may work for any employer. Children may study but may not work, and their dependent status ends at twenty-one. Each family member's own nationality and activity determines what other options they might have.
Plan the household around a business that may take years
A new distribution business rarely pays the family properly in its first two years, which makes the spouse's employment authorization a practical foundation rather than a footnote. Identify what work the spouse will look for and whether it requires a state licence, and start that process early if it does. For children, note the age of each and the date dependent status ends, and understand that a child who wants to work during university in the United States needs their own basis for it. Consider also the Canadian side: if the family keeps a farm or a house here, decide who manages it, since a partner who spends most of the year back in Ontario is a fact the application will have to describe honestly.
Hypothetical example: a mobile veterinary-imaging business owner plans to relocate with a spouse who is a licensed social worker and a university-age daughter. A first review lists each person’s intended activity and then checks the destination state’s licensing rules and the school’s enrollment requirements. E-2 derivative status does not answer a professional licence question. The applicant should also identify whether the daughter needs her own student plan. Household budgeting should use an actual start-up draw and revenue forecast, not an assumption that all adults can begin earning immediately.