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A derivative dependent who is approaching 21 needs a separate, earlier assessment than the working parent. TD status for a TN worker's child, L2 status for an L1 worker's child, and E2 dependent status for an investor's child all end at 21 regardless of how much time is left on the principal's authorization. Planning has to treat the child's timeline as its own problem, not a footnote to the parent's case.
Identify the applicable age rule for each category
TD, L2 and E2 dependent status all define a child by age, and that definition stops applying at 21. The principal worker's TN, L1 or E2 status is unaffected by a child's birthday; only the derivative status ends. Confirm which category the family is actually in before assuming a single rule applies across TN, L1 and E2 households, since the underlying work authorization for each principal remains governed by its own separate requirements (professional occupation and credential for TN, qualifying corporate role for L1, treaty investment and control for E2).
Assess each child separately, not as a household unit
Siblings born in different years lose derivative eligibility on different dates, so a household plan built around one filing date can leave the older child without status while the younger one is still covered. List each dependent's birthdate against the family's intended stay and mark the point at which any single person's derivative eligibility ends, rather than tracking the family as a single expiration date.
Plan the timing of applications relative to the birthday
Filing before a child turns 21 does not guarantee the case will be decided before that date, and processing delays are not something an applicant can control or predict. Build in the question of what happens if the child ages out mid-process: whether the child would need an independent basis to remain, such as F-1 study, and confirm that separately rather than assuming the derivative filing alone resolves it.
Do the arithmetic for each child separately and in writing
Households with more than one child tend to reason about them as a group, and the arithmetic does not work that way. Take each child in turn, on their own sheet, and record four things: date of birth, the date the applicable threshold is reached, the status they currently hold and when it ends, and what they would hold afterwards if nothing is arranged. The answers diverge more than families expect. A sixteen-year-old and a nineteen-year-old in the same household are in entirely different situations, and the younger one's comfortable position tends to set the tone for a conversation that should be governed by the elder's. Two further points belong on each sheet. Derivative eligibility in these categories is limited to unmarried children under twenty-one, so marital status is part of the arithmetic as well as age, and a change in it is a change in the position. And the alternatives available — study, another basis, or a return — each have their own requirements and lead times, so the sheet should record not only what the alternative is but when work on it would have to begin. Review the sheets on a schedule rather than when a birthday approaches, since by then the useful options have usually narrowed. Hypothetical example: a household completes two sheets and finds the elder child's first required step is already overdue.
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.