Read the general life across the border overview
Family members can share a relocation plan without sharing nationality or visa procedures. Record each person’s citizenship and intended dependent classification. A Canadian principal’s travel arrangements should not be copied automatically for a spouse or child with another nationality, even when everyone holds Canadian permanent residence or lives together.
Make an individual document map
Create a separate private entry for each person, including citizenship, passport and relationship to the principal. Record whether any document is being renewed or any nationality question remains unclear. A household address does not replace these facts, and one person’s Canadian citizenship does not become the citizenship of other family members.
Match each person to the procedure
Check the proposed category and visa requirements using the actual nationality. Canadian citizens have a general nonimmigrant visa exemption with exceptions, including E-2; Canadian PR should not be substituted for citizenship. A mixed-nationality family therefore needs an individual procedural review rather than a single instruction that everyone can follow the principal’s process.
Coordinate travel after the review
Identify who plans to travel together and who may follow later, then verify the documentation appropriate to each person. E-2 dependants need not share the investor’s nationality, but their own status and travel requirements still matter. Keep bookings and school dates separate from assumptions that all family documents will be ready simultaneously.
Record every nationality, including the ones nobody uses
Households routinely overlook citizenships that are held but never exercised: one acquired through a parent, one retained from birth in another country, or one obtained years ago and allowed to lapse in practice rather than in law. These can matter, because eligibility for several routes turns on nationality and because the procedure a person follows may depend on which passport they travel on. Ask each adult directly rather than assuming, and check whether children acquired anything by descent. Where a citizenship is uncertain, treat that as a question to resolve with the relevant authority rather than a detail to leave open, and record what documentation exists for each nationality claimed.
Expect the procedures to differ and plan for the slowest
Once each person is matched to a procedure, the family's schedule is set by whoever faces the longest one rather than by the principal. Identify that person early. Requirements can differ by nationality in ways that affect appointment availability, documentation and the steps required before travel, and a household that plans around the principal's timeline will discover the difference at the least convenient moment. Build the plan around the slowest member, and decide in advance whether the family is willing to travel in stages if the gap is significant. Where staging is chosen, confirm that each person will hold appropriate status for the whole period rather than assuming that arriving later is simply a matter of booking a different flight.
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.