TD does not authorize employment. A foreign employer or remote connection does not by itself make U.S.-performed support work permissible.
Describe the spouse’s real work plan
Record the clients, employer, duties, physical location and compensation arrangement. TD permits study, but a course related to the work does not turn the job into study. Have any independent authorization or unpaid activity assessed on its facts. Do not assume the principal’s systems-analyst classification extends to the spouse’s services.
Hypothetical example: the spouse of a systems analyst plans to manage online orders for a Canadian stationery retailer after moving south, using a laptop from the family apartment. First identify where the duties will be performed, who receives the benefit, how the work is supervised, and whether payment is direct or through a corporation. Those facts are more useful than the label “remote.” TD permits study, but it does not supply employment permission. A first review should produce a written household activity plan separating school, volunteer commitments, and paid or revenue-generating tasks. Keep client messages, contracts, proposed schedules, and any separate authorization question together for individual assessment. Do not start services first and expect a foreign payroll or foreign customers to settle the issue later. If the spouse has an independent immigration option, evaluate it before accepting U.S.-performed work. Children’s activity should be reviewed separately as well, because a dependent child does not inherit a spouse’s ability to work. The principal’s classification is evidence about the principal alone.