TD gives no employment permission, including remote services performed in the United States for a foreign employer. Waiting for the principal’s evidence creates no exception.
Plan the household on actual status
Eligible TD dependents include a qualifying spouse and unmarried child under 21. If the spouse intends to work, assess an independently appropriate basis rather than relying on the principal’s anticipated qualification.
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. Before any productive task begins, the spouse needs a distinct immigration classification that itself carries employment authorization; a recruiter willing to place both spouses cannot substitute for that requirement. What TD does not do is authorize work, with remote work and unpaid placements requiring specific review, and that limit reaches school-linked roles such as assistantships as much as outside employment. A route of the spouse’s own generally depends on facts assembled in advance: an employer willing to petition, a listed profession the spouse personally qualifies for, or a study plan with its own authorization.