Read the general life across the border overview
Hypothetical example: an executive at a bilingual customer-support company in L'Ange-Gardien is being transferred to its U.S. subsidiary on an L-1A. Her husband is a paramedic who wants to keep working, their daughter is 19 and about to start university, and their son is 22 and employed in Quebec. One petition covers the executive; the other three people are each in a different position. This guide walks through the household one person at a time, because the principal's approval does not settle everyone's status and work permission at once.
The spouse: authorized to work, still needs a state certification
As the spouse of an L-1A transferee, the husband is admitted in L-2 status and, under current USCIS policy, is employment-authorized incident to that status once his admission record carries the spousal notation. He does not need to wait for a separate employment document and may work for any employer. What immigration status cannot give him is state authority to practise as a paramedic; certification requirements vary by state and must be checked with the responsible state agency. He should start that process before the move. If he would rather seek his own status — for example, TN is not available because paramedic is not a listed profession — his work permission as an L-2 spouse remains his simplest route, and it ends when the principal's L-1A ends.
The daughter: a derivative today, with a deadline she can see
At 19 and unmarried, the daughter qualifies for L-2 status as the executive's child. In that status she may enrol at a U.S. university without a separate student visa and may remain in the country while she is under 21 and unmarried, but she may not work, including on-campus employment that an F-1 student could take. Her twenty-first birthday is the date to plan around: on that day she ceases to qualify as an L-2 derivative regardless of where she is in her degree. Before then she will need her own status — commonly a change to F-1 as a student, with its own financial-support and full-time-enrolment conditions — and the change should be filed with enough lead time that a decision arrives before the birthday. If the family later pursues permanent residence through EB-1C, her age on the relevant dates will matter again.
The son: outside the derivative definition from the start
The 22-year-old son is not the executive's child for immigration purposes, because derivative status is limited to unmarried children under 21, and his employment in Quebec does not change that. He cannot be included in the L-1A petition, cannot be admitted as an L-2 and cannot join the family as a dependant later. If he wants to live in the United States, he needs a route of his own that matches his own facts: TN if he is a Canadian citizen in a listed profession with an employer, a student category if he intends to study, or an employer-sponsored petition. A Canadian citizen may visit his parents as a visitor, but visiting is not residing or working. The household budget, housing and schooling plans should be made on the basis that he is a separate adult with a separate immigration history.
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.