TN Visa
Professional TN Visas for Canada and Mexico Citizens
Who qualifies?
Mexican and Canadian professionals may qualify for admission to work in professional occupations in the United States. While Mexican professionals must apply for a visa at a U.S. consulate or embassy in Mexico to obtain the visa; Canadian professionals can present the same information to a Customs and Border Protection officer at a Class A port of entry, and need not apply in advance for a visa.
Appendix 2 of Chapter 16 of the USMCA lists the professions which qualify for admission to the United States under the USMCA. You must be seeking employment in one of the listed categories in order to qualify for this visa. In brief, these include:
- Medical professionals and allied professions, including nutritionists, pharmacists, medical laboratory technicians, and therapists
- Scientists of all types, including agriculturalists, animal breeders, geneticists, and geophysicists
- College, seminary, and university professors
- Most other professions requiring at least a B.A. or government license, including lawyers, librarians, technologists, statisticians, industrial designers, hotel managers, and accountants.
A professional immigration attorney can help determine whether you qualify for this USMCA Professional (formerly TN) visa, and what sort of documentation you will need.
TN visa application and requirements:
- Proof of Mexican citizenship
- Letter from your prospective U.S. employer detailing the professional capacity in which you will work, your educational qualifications, the purpose of your employment, and the length of your stay
- A credentials evaluation, if applicable
Once approved for the TN visa, you may apply for admission at the U.S. border.Because Canadians do not need visas to enter the United States as visitors, Canadian professionals do not need visas to enter the U.S. under the USMCA. However, to work in the U.S., they must present the same documentation at a Class A border as Mexican professionals must present at an embassy or consulate, with proof of Canadian instead of Mexican citizenship.
