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Canada

TN NAFTA Professionals

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) created special economic and trade relationships for the United States, Canada and Mexico. The TN nonimmigrant classification permits qualified Canadian and Mexican citizens to seek temporary entry into the United States to engage in business activities at a professional level.

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) created special economic and trade relationships for the United States, Canada and Mexico. The TN nonimmigrant classification permits qualified Canadian and Mexican citizens to seek temporary entry into the United States to engage in business activities at a professional level.

Among the types of professionals who are eligible to seek admission as TN nonimmigrants are accountants, engineers, lawyers, pharmacists, scientists, and teachers.

 

You may be eligible for TN nonimmigrant status, if:

  • You are a citizen of Canada or Mexico;

  • Your profession qualifies under the regulations;

  • The position in the United States requires a NAFTA professional;

  • You have a prearranged full-time or part-time job with a U.S. employer; and

  • You have the qualifications to practice in the profession in question.

Unlike Mexican citizens, Canadian citizens are generally eligible for admission as nonimmigrants without a visa. The TN category, a nonimmigrant classification, simply reflects this general exemption from the visa requirement.

 

Canadian Citizens

If you are a Canadian citizen, then you are not required to apply for a TN visa at a U.S. consulate.

 

You may establish eligibility for TN classification at the time you seek admission to the United States by presenting required documentation to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer at certain CBP-designated U.S. ports of entry or at a designated pre-clearance/pre-flight inspection station. You must provide the following documentation to the CBP officer:

  • Proof of Canadian citizenship;

  • Letter from your prospective employer detailing items such as the professional capacity in which you will work in the United States, the purpose of your employment, your length of stay, and your educational qualifications; and

  • Credentials evaluation (if applicable), together with any applicable fees.

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Mexican Citizens

 

If you are a Mexican citizen, then you are required to obtain a visa to enter the United States as a TN nonimmigrant. You should apply for a TN visa directly at a U.S. embassy or consulate in Mexico.

- Online consultation -

Licensed TN Visa Attorney

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NAFTA Occupations and Minimum Requirements

  • Accountant - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or C.P.A., C.A., C.G.A. or C.M.A.

  • Architect - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial license

  • Computer Systems Analyst - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or Post Secondary Diploma or Post Secondary Certificate, and three years experience

  • Disaster Relief Insurance Claims Adjuster - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree, and successful completion of training in the appropriate areas of insurance adjustment pertaining to disaster relief claims; or three years experience in claims adjustment and successful completion of training in the appropriate areas of insurance adjustment pertaining to disaster relief claims.

  • Economist - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

  • Engineer - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial license Forester Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial license

  • Graphic Designer - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or Post Secondary Diploma or Post Secondary Certificate, and three years experience

  • Hotel Manager - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree in hotel/restaurant management; or Post Secondary Diploma or Post Secondary Certificate in hotel/restaurant management, and three years experience in hotel/restaurant management.

  • Industrial Designer - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or Post Secondary Diploma or Post Secondary Certificate, and three years experience

  • Land Surveyor - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial/federal license

  • Landscape Architect - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

  • Lawyer (including Notary in the Province of Quebec) LL.B., J.D., LL.L., B.C.L. or Licenciatura Degree (five years); or membership in a state/provincial bar

  • Librarian - M.L.S. or B.L.S. (for which another Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree was a prerequisite)

  • Management Consultant - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or equivalent professional experience as established by statement or professional credential attesting to five years experience as a management consultant, or five years experience in a field of specialty related to the consulting agreement

  • Mathematician (including Statistician) Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

  • Range Manager/Range Conservationalist - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

  • Research Assistant (working in a post-secondary educational institution) - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

  • Scientific Technician/Technologist - Possession of (a) theoretical knowledge of any of the following disciplines: agricultural sciences, astronomy, biology, chemistry, engineering, forestry, geology, geophysics, meteorology or physics; and (b) the ability to solve practical problems in any of those disciplines, or the ability to apply principles of any of those disciplines to basic or applied research

  • Social Worker - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

  • Sylviculturist (including Forestry Specialist) - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

  • Technical Publications Writer - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or Post Secondary Diploma or Post Secondary Certificate, and three years experience Urban Planner (including Geographer) Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

  • Vocational Counsellor - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
     

Medical Occupations

  • Dentist - D.D.S., D.M.D., Doctor en Odontologia or Doctor en Cirugia Dental; or state/provincial license

  • Dietitian - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial license Medical Laboratory

  • Technologist - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or Post-Secondary Diploma or Post-Secondary Certificate, and three years experience

  • Nutritionist - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

  • Occupational Therapist - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial license

  • Pharmacist - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial license Physician (teaching or research only)M.D. or Doctor en Medicina; or state/provincial license

  • Physiotherapist/Physical Therapist - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial license

  • Psychologist - State/provincial license; or Licenciatura Degree

  • Recreational Therapist - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

  • Registered Nurse - State/provincial license; or Licenciatura Degree

  • Veterinarian - D.V.M., D.M.V. or Doctor en Veterinaria; or state/provincial license
     

Scientist Occupations

  • Agriculturist (including Agronomist) - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

  • Animal Breeder - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

  • Animal Scientist - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

  • Apiculturist - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

  • Astronomer - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

  • Biochemist - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

  • Biologist - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

  • Chemist - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

  • Dairy Scientist - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

  • Entomologist - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

  • Epidemiologist - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

  • Geneticist - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

  • Geologist - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

  • Geochemist - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

  • Geophysicist (including Oceanographer in Mexico and the United States) - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

  • Horticulturist - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

  • Meteorologist - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

  • Pharmacologist - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

  • Physicist (including Oceanographer in Canada) - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

  • Plant Breeder - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

  • Poultry Scientist - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

  • Soil Scientist - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

  • Zoologist - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
     

Teacher Occupations

  • College - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

  • Seminary - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

  • University - Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
     

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