IN THIS GUIDE · Sequence the licence, the offer and the port presentation
Start with the TN eligibility and application overview
Establish the profession's own rule before the calendar
Appendix 2 sets a separate qualification standard for each listed profession, and some of them are satisfied by a degree while others accept a licence or a stated period of experience. A Selwyn applicant should identify their exact listed profession and read the requirement attached to that line rather than the general expectation for professionals. If the standard is a provincial or state licence, the issuing body's own processing time becomes the first item on the timeline, and it usually cannot be shortened by paying more attention to the immigration step.
Fix the employer letter to duties that are already agreed
The employer's letter describes prearranged professional work: what the position is, why it belongs to the listed profession, the period sought and the terms. A letter written before the duties are settled tends to be edited later, and an edited description invites the question of which version is real. Agree the duties, then write the letter. If a start date is genuinely conditional on something outside the employer's control, it is better for the letter to say so than for the applicant to explain the discrepancy at the border.
Handle self-employment and ownership before travel, not at the counter
TN does not support self-employment in the United States. A Selwyn applicant who owns part of the Canadian company that arranged the work, or who holds a stake in the U.S. entity, should surface that fact and be able to describe who directs the work and who pays for it. Ownership interests are disclosed rather than minimised. The time to obtain a clear written account of the corporate structure is while the offer is being negotiated, because reconstructing it under questioning is slower and less convincing.
Decide the entry route with the season in mind
A Canadian citizen may present the application at a port of entry, or the employer may file Form I-129 in advance. The two routes have different lead times and different failure modes. Port presentation can be quicker but produces a decision on the day, with no opportunity to supplement a thin file. An advance petition takes longer and costs a filing fee, but the evidence is reviewed before anyone travels. Where a start date is commercially fixed, the slower route is sometimes the one that protects it.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-07. This guide covers a preparation focus; it is not an individual eligibility assessment.