TD does not authorize employment, including services performed from the United States for a foreign payer. A separate invoice does not create permission.
Assess the spouse’s proposed services independently
A qualifying spouse or unmarried child under 21 may seek TD, but that dependent status supplies no work benefit. Identify the actual service, work location and intended status before the household relies on a second contract. Shared clients or family ownership do not merge separate authorization requirements.
Build a separate identity and relationship packet for each family member: passports, marriage record, birth records for children, and genuine name-change documents. A spouse who intends to work needs a route of their own, assessed on their own occupation and qualifications, which may be a separate professional request if their occupation is listed and they hold the qualification the entry names, or a different category entirely. If children's school records or a spouse's own documentation were part of what raised questions, address those specifically rather than assuming the family side will resolve itself once the principal issue is fixed. 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.