IN THIS GUIDE · Test the occupation fit before a mixed job description becomes a filing
Read the whole duty list, including the awkward half
Hypothetical example: an offer for a 'Program Coordinator' role lists duties split between clinical research coordination and general office administration and scheduling. Ask the employer for an ordinary week's task list rather than accepting the title alone. Keep both kinds of duties in the working account — dropping the administrative half to make the role look more purely professional does not change what the person will actually be asked to do.
Match qualifications to the specific listed occupation
Each USMCA professional category carries its own credential rule — a particular degree, licence, or a stated alternative combination of education and experience. One occupation's alternative path cannot be borrowed for another. Keep original transcripts and licences on hand, and treat credential evaluation and document translation as separate services performed only where the chosen procedure actually requires them. For a degree from an institution outside Canada, Mexico or the United States, the TN rules require a reliable foreign-credential evaluation; the institution’s location governs this question.
Account for the employer relationship in full
Set out the confirmed position, compensation, and intended duration. If a staffing agency or an end client is involved, be explicit about who directs the work and what has actually been confirmed by each party. Disclose any ownership interest the applicant holds in the employer or a related company; the TN bar on U.S. self-employment turns on the real facts, not on an assumption drawn from a job title. Services to a U.S. entity solely owned or controlled by the applicant constitute prohibited TN self-employment. A supervisor or client label does not cure that arrangement; a foreign business interest alone is not a blanket exclusion.
Match the process to the person
Canadian citizens generally may seek TN admission at an eligible port of entry or a preclearance location without first obtaining a TN visa, and an employer can also pursue a USCIS petition in appropriate cases. Mexican citizens follow a different consular process. Confirm which procedure currently applies, and disclose prior U.S. immigration history and any longer-term residence intent before travel is booked. The proposed entry must be temporary; disclosing longer-term plans does not waive that requirement.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-07. This guide covers a preparation focus; it is not an individual eligibility assessment.