No. TD status permits accompanying the principal and permits study, but it does not authorize employment, whatever the spouse’s previous experience or qualifications.
Look for an independent basis, not a derivative one
The instrument that would authorize a spouse to work does not exist in this category, so the question becomes whether the spouse has an independent basis of their own. That depends on their citizenship, the occupation, and whether an employer is prepared to support a filing, and for many service occupations the professional list simply does not reach the work. It is better to establish this before the household commits to a move than to arrive expecting a second income. An eligible spouse and unmarried children under twenty-one may hold TD and may attend school while in that status. Children who turn twenty-one cease to be eligible dependants, which is a date to calculate rather than estimate.
Plan each dependant’s classification separately from the principal’s professional analysis. Relationship records, passports, current status documents, and the intended travel sequence answer different questions. A spouse or child cannot cure a weak principal application, and a school plan does not create work permission. Decide whether everyone will travel together or whether a later application better fits the document readiness. Hypothetical example: a clinical dietitian expects to start before her partner’s passport renewal finishes; the couple must decide whether the partner follows later with relationship evidence rather than rushing an incomplete family file.