TN Visa
Mexican and Canadian professionals
TN Visa
Mexican and Canadian professionals
TN Visa
Mexican and Canadian professionals
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) created special economic and trade relationships for the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The TN nonimmigrant visa allows qualified Canadian and Mexican citizens to apply for temporary entry into the United States to conduct business activities at a professional level.
Among the types of professionals who can apply for 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 meets the requirements of the regulations.
- The position in the United States requires a NAFTA professional.
- You have a pre-arranged full- or part-time job with a US employer.
- You have the qualifications of the profession.
Eligibility criteria
Canadian citizens
If you are a Canadian citizen, you are not required to apply for a visa at a US consulate or file a petition with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). You may apply for admission as a TN nonimmigrant at a US port of entry, and must provide the following documentation:
- Proof of Canadian citizenship.
- Letter from your prospective employer detailing information such as the professional capacity in which you will work in the United States, the purpose of your employment, the length of your stay, and your educational qualifications.
- Credentials evaluation (if applicable).
If you are eligible after inspection by a United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officer, then you will be admitted as a TN nonimmigrant. The Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record, will be proof of your admission.
Mexican citizens
If you are a Mexican citizen, then you are not required to file a petition with USCIS. However, you are required to obtain a visa to enter the United States as a TN nonimmigrant. You must apply for a TN visa directly at a United States embassy or consulate in Mexico. See the Department of State link to the right for “Mexican and Canadian NAFTA Professional Worker.”
Once your TN visa is approved, you may apply for admission at a port of entry to the United States. If you are eligible after inspection by a CBP officer, then you will be admitted as a TN nonimmigrant. Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record, will be proof of your admission.
Eligible Professionals for the TN Visa
We provide you with the current list of professions eligible for the TN Visa.
– Accountant – Bachelor’s degree.
– Architect – Bachelor’s degree; or state/provincial license.
– Computer Systems Analyst – Bachelor’s degree; or post-secondary diploma/certificate and 3 years of experience.
– Economist – Bachelor’s or bachelor’s degree.
– Engineer – Bachelor’s degree; or state/provincial license.
– Forester – Bachelor’s or bachelor’s degree; or state/provincial license.
– Graphic Designer – Bachelor’s degree; post-secondary diploma/certificate and 3 years of experience.
– Hotel Manager – Bachelor’s or bachelor’s degree in hotel/restaurant management; or post-secondary diploma/certificate and 3 years of experience in hotel/restaurant management.
– Industrial Designer – Bachelor’s degree; or post-secondary diploma/certificate and 3 years of experience.
– Interior Designer – Bachelor’s or bachelor’s degree; or post-secondary diploma/certificate and 3 years of experience.
– Land Surveyor – Bachelor’s degree or state/provincial/federal license.
– Landscape Architect – Bachelor’s or bachelor’s degree.
– Lawyer (including Notaries of Quebec) – L.L.B., J.D., L.L.L., B.C.L. or bachelor’s degree (5 years); or membership in a state/provincial bar association.
– Librarian – M.L.S., or B.L.S.
– Management Consultant – Bachelor’s or bachelor’s degree; or equivalent professional experience.
– Mathematician (including Statistician) – Bachelor’s degree.
– Range Manager/Range Conservationist – Bachelor’s or bachelor’s degree.
– Research Assistant (working in a post-secondary educational institution) – Bachelor’s or bachelor’s degree.
– Scientific Technician/Technologist – Theoretical knowledge of any of the following disciplines: agricultural sciences, astronomy, biology, chemistry, engineering, forestry, geology, geophysics, meteorology, or physics, and 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 – Bachelor’s or bachelor’s degree.
– Silviculturist (including Forest Specialist) – Bachelor’s or bachelor’s degree.
– Technical Publications Writer – Bachelor’s or bachelor’s degree, or post-secondary diploma/certificate and 3 years of experience.
– Urban Planner (including Geographer) – Bachelor’s or bachelor’s degree.
– Vocational Counselor – Bachelor’s or bachelor’s degree.
– Dentist – D.D.S., D.M.D. Doctor of Dental Surgery or Doctor of Dental Medicine, or state/provincial license.
– Dietitian – Bachelor’s degree; or state/provincial license.
– Medical Laboratory Technologist – Bachelor’s degree; or post-secondary diploma/certificate and 3 years of experience.
– Nutritionist – Bachelor’s or bachelor’s degree.
– Occupational Therapist – Bachelor’s degree; or state/provincial license.
– Pharmacist – Bachelor’s or bachelor’s degree; or state/provincial license.
– Physician – M.D. Doctor of Medicine; or state/provincial license.
– Physiotherapist – Bachelor’s degree; or state/provincial license.
– Psychologist – State/provincial license; or bachelor’s degree.
– Recreational Therapist – Bachelor’s or bachelor’s degree.
– Nurse – State/provincial license or bachelor’s degree.
– Veterinarian – D.V.M., D.M.V. or Doctor of Veterinary Medicine; or state/provincial license.
– Agronomist (including Agronomist) – Bachelor’s or bachelor’s degree.
– Animal Breeder – Bachelor’s or bachelor’s degree.
– Animal Scientist – Bachelor’s or bachelor’s degree.
– Apiculturist – Bachelor’s or bachelor’s degree.
– Astronomer – Bachelor’s degree.
– Biochemist – Bachelor’s degree.
– Biologist (Including Plant Pathologist) – Bachelor’s degree.
– Chemist – Bachelor’s degree.
– Dairy Scientist – Bachelor’s or bachelor’s degree.
– Entomologist – Bachelor’s or bachelor’s degree.
– Epidemiologist – Bachelor’s degree.
– Geneticist – Bachelor’s or bachelor’s degree.
– Geochemist – Bachelor’s or bachelor’s degree.
– Geologist – Bachelor’s or bachelor’s degree.
– Geophysicist (including Oceanographer in Mexico and the United States) – Bachelor’s or bachelor’s degree.
– Horticulturist – Bachelor’s or bachelor’s degree.
– Meteorologist – Bachelor’s degree.
– Pharmacologist – Bachelor’s or bachelor’s degree.
– Physicist (including Oceanographer in Canada) – Bachelor’s degree.
– Viticulturist – Bachelor’s or bachelor’s degree.
– Poultry Scientist – Bachelor’s or bachelor’s degree.
– Soil Scientist – Bachelor’s or bachelor’s degree.
– Zoologist – Bachelor’s or bachelor’s degree.
– College/Institute – Bachelor’s or bachelor’s degree.
– Seminary – Bachelor’s or bachelor’s degree.
– University – Bachelor’s or bachelor’s degree.
time limit
Period of stay/extension of stay
Initial stay period
Up to 3 years
If you wish to stay beyond the time indicated on your I-94 form, you must request an extension of stay. If you are in the United States, your employer can file Form I-129, Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker, with USCIS.
Note: You can apply at a port of entry using the same application and documentation procedures required at the time of your initial entry.
TN Requests
Relatives of TN visa holders
Your spouse and children under age 21 who accompany or follow you may qualify for TD nonimmigrant status. They must demonstrate a genuine relationship as a spouse or father-son with you. Dependents do not have to be citizens of Mexico or Canada, but should contact the U.S. embassy or consulate serving their area for information on how to apply for a visa. Spouses and children cannot work during their stay in the United States, but they can study.
More details
Dependents
The spouse and children of a Canadian citizen do not need a visa, but must present the following documentation at the port of entry:
> Proof of Canadian citizenship.
> Proof of relationship to the TN nonimmigrant, such as a marriage or birth certificate.
> Photocopies of the TN nonimmigrant’s entry documents.
The spouse and children of a Mexican citizen do not need a visa, but must present the following documentation at the port of entry:
If the spouse and children continue to join the TN nonimmigrant, they must show a valid Form I-94 as proof that the TN nonimmigrant maintains his or her TN nonimmigrant status.
TAKE THE FIRST STEP
Don't postpone your dreams
We support your process of moving to the United States with the appropriate type of visa for your profile. (E1, E2, EB-2, F1, among others)
TAKE THE FIRST STEP
Don't postpone your dreams
We support your process of moving to the United States with the appropriate type of visa for your profile. (E1, E2, EB-2, F1, among others)
