Read the general eligibility basics overview
Hypothetical example: an Asphodel-Norwood tool-and-die machinist was born abroad to a Canadian parent, has lived here since childhood, and travels on a British passport because he has never applied for a Canadian one. He is very probably a Canadian citizen already, and has been since birth. For TN purposes that is the whole question, because the classification asks for citizenship rather than residence. The obstacle here is documentary rather than legal, and it is the kind of obstacle that takes months to clear.
Citizenship and permanent residence are separate facts
TN is available to citizens of Canada and Mexico. Permanent residence, however long held and however settled the person's life here, does not qualify anyone, and this is the single most common misunderstanding in the whole area. Someone who is a citizen by descent has held that status since birth without any application; what they lack is evidence of it. Someone who is a permanent resident does not have the status at all and cannot acquire it by producing better documents. Establishing which of the two describes you is the first step, and it is worth doing before any offer is discussed.
Get the proof before the offer, because it takes months
Proof of Canadian citizenship for TN purposes is normally a Canadian passport or a citizenship certificate. A person claiming citizenship by descent generally applies for a citizenship certificate first, supplying the Canadian parent's own proof of citizenship, the applicant's foreign birth registration, and evidence of the parental relationship. That application runs on its own processing schedule and can take many months, and the passport application follows it. Nothing about an employment offer accelerates either. Start as soon as the possibility of American work is raised, not when a start date is agreed.
Do not present a foreign passport and hope
Arriving at a port of entry with a British passport and an explanation about a Canadian parent invites a refusal, because the officer is being asked to adjudicate a citizenship claim rather than read a document. Dual citizenship is not itself a problem for TN: what matters is that Canadian citizenship can be proved. If the certificate has not yet issued when a start date approaches, the honest options are to delay, or to examine whether a different classification is available on the facts, which for an employee of a company with related entities on both sides of the border may mean looking at L-1 instead.
What else is on your mind?
Does Canadian permanent residence give me access to TN?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?Editorial source review: 2026-09-07. General preparation guidance, not an individual assessment.