Read the general professional work overview
Hypothetical example: a Cavan Monaghan dietitian is recruited by a U.S. long-term-care operator. Appendix 2 accepts a baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree, or a state/provincial licence, for Dietitian. Four documents carry the case: proof of citizenship, the qualifying credential, the employer's letter describing prearranged professional work, and, where the role requires it, the destination-state licence. Everything else in the file supports one of those four.
Citizenship, in presentable form
TN is available to citizens of Canada and Mexico, and for Canadians there is no visa stamp: the application is made at a port of entry or through an employer's I-129 petition. The document presented therefore has to be the actual, current evidence of citizenship, not a renewal receipt or an image of a passport held elsewhere. Canadian permanent residence is a different status and does not support TN, which is a distinction worth confirming at the outset rather than assuming. Any variation between the name on the citizenship document and the name on credentials should be reconciled by the record that explains it.
The credential the Appendix line names
Each listed profession carries its own qualification requirement, and the file has to satisfy that one. For some professions a specified degree is required; for others a licence, or a diploma combined with stated experience. A dietitian, a management consultant and a scientific technician are held to genuinely different standards. Where a foreign credential is relied on, an equivalency assessment showing correspondence to the required qualification is usually needed, and obtaining it takes weeks rather than days. The safest preparation is to read the Appendix line and the certificate side by side and identify any gap immediately.
The employer letter, and the licence if the work needs one
The letter records that the employment is prearranged and professional: the position, the duties, the named profession, the period sought, the terms, and a signature from someone able to bind the employer. It should be consistent with the credential supplied, because a mismatch between the two invites questions. Where the destination state licenses the occupation, that licence is a separate requirement with its own processing time and should be pursued in parallel. Self-employment in the United States is not permitted under TN, so any ownership interest in either company belongs in the file rather than left unmentioned. TD dependants may study but are not authorized to work.
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.