🇺🇸 United States · Work Visa
TN (USMCA Professional)
Streamlined work status for Canadian and Mexican citizens in specific NAFTA/USMCA occupations. No lottery, fast processing.
- Scoring
- Employer-sponsored
- Timeline
- 1d–1mo
- Est. cost
- $2K
- Category
- Work Visa
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The TN is the easy button for Canadian and Mexican citizens. Created under NAFTA and continued under USMCA, it lets nationals of those two countries work in the US in one of about 60 listed professional occupations, engineer, scientist, accountant, lawyer, teacher, physician, computer systems analyst, and more, with a US job offer and a relevant credential.
Canadians get the cleanest version: present the offer letter and degree at any US port of entry, pay $56, and walk through with TN status the same day. Mexicans apply at a US consulate first, which adds a few weeks but still beats every other employer-sponsored route on cost and speed.
TN status is renewable indefinitely in three-year increments. There's no annual cap, no lottery, and no PERM. The trade-off: TN is explicitly a non-immigrant status with no dual intent. Pursuing a green card while on TN requires careful planning because USCIS can read green-card filings as inconsistent with TN's non-immigrant requirement.
Is this visa for you?
A strong fit if you…
- You're a Canadian or Mexican citizen with a US job offer in a TN-listed occupation and a degree or licence that matches.
- You want a work visa fast and cheap, no lottery, no thousands in legal fees, and Canadians clear in a day at the border.
- You're early-career and your role fits cleanly into one of the listed professions (software engineer maps to 'computer systems analyst'; data scientist often maps to 'scientist').
- You want flexibility, TN renewals are unlimited as long as you keep meeting the criteria.
Look elsewhere if you…
- You're planning to pursue a US green card. TN's non-immigrant intent makes the dual-intent question awkward; many practitioners recommend switching to H-1B or O-1 before filing green card petitions.
- Your role doesn't fit a listed occupation. The USMCA list is closed, 'product manager', 'designer', and 'business analyst' don't have clean TN mappings and routinely get refused at the border.
- You're not a Canadian or Mexican citizen. Permanent residents of those countries don't qualify, TN requires citizenship of one of the two.
Key requirements
- Canadian or Mexican citizenship
- Occupation on the USMCA list (e.g., engineer, scientist, accountant, lawyer)
- Bachelor's degree (or relevant licence)
- US employer offer
Eligibility, in plain English
Canadian or Mexican citizenship
Citizenship of Canada or Mexico. Permanent residents (Canadian PR, Mexican PR) do not qualify, only citizens. Dual citizens are fine as long as one of the two passports is Canadian or Mexican.
Job offer in a USMCA-listed occupation
About 60 occupations qualify: accountant, architect, engineer, lawyer, physician, scientist (multiple subfields), teacher, computer systems analyst, management consultant, technical publications writer, and more. The match between job duties and the listed occupation is what officers check, vague modern titles like 'product manager' or 'growth lead' don't have clean mappings and get refused.
Relevant degree or licence
Each listed occupation specifies a credential, typically a bachelor's degree in a related field, or a professional licence. Computer systems analyst needs a bachelor's in computer science, engineering, business or a related field, or a post-secondary diploma plus three years of experience. Management consultant needs a bachelor's plus experience or relevant credentials.
Three-year initial admission
TN admissions are granted for up to three years at a time. There's no statutory maximum length of stay, you can renew indefinitely. Each renewal requires re-establishing the criteria, so keep evidence current.
Non-immigrant intent
TN status requires the holder to maintain non-immigrant intent, the intent to return home when the assignment ends. Unlike H-1B and L-1, TN does not allow dual intent. Filing a green card petition while on TN doesn't automatically violate status, but border officers can use it as evidence of immigrant intent at the next entry. Common practice: switch to H-1B or O-1 before filing I-140.
Canadian fast track at the border
Canadians can apply for TN at any US port of entry, land border, airport pre-flight inspection, or any port. Required documents: offer letter, degree/credentials, proof of citizenship. Processing is same-day, often under 30 minutes. Mexicans must apply at a US consulate first.
How the application actually goes
- 01
Confirm occupation mapping
Map your role to a USMCA-listed occupation. If the match is not clean, work with the employer to rewrite the offer letter so the duties align with a listed profession. Computer systems analyst, management consultant, and economist are the most flexible occupations for modern tech and business roles.
1 week
- 02
Employer drafts the support letter
The employer writes a TN support letter, typically 2-4 pages, describing the role, mapping duties to the listed occupation, confirming temporary intent, and confirming compliance with US wage and working conditions. This is the primary document the border officer reads.
1-2 weeks
- 03
Gather credentials
Original or certified copy of your degree, official transcript, professional licence if applicable, proof of citizenship (passport). For US-educated TN applicants, the degree is straightforward; for foreign-credentialed applicants, a credential evaluation may strengthen the case.
1-2 weeks
- 04
Apply for TN (Canadians: at the border)
Canadians present everything at a US port of entry, land border crossing, airport pre-flight inspection at Toronto/Montreal/Vancouver, or any US airport on arrival. Pay $56 reciprocity fee. Same-day decision. Mexicans apply at a US consulate first, DS-160, fee, interview, decision typically in 2-6 weeks.
Same day (Canadians) or 2-6 weeks (Mexicans)
- 05
Renewals every 3 years
Renewal is the same process: present updated support letter, degree, and citizenship proof. In-country renewals via I-129 are also possible (file with USCIS, no border trip required), premium processing available.
What it costs
TN application fee (Canadian, at border)
$56
Mexican TN consulate fee (MRV)
$185
USCIS I-129 fee (if filing from inside the US)
Plus $600 Asylum Program Fee
$1,055
Premium processing (I-129 only)
Optional
$2,805
Legal fees (Canadian, at border)
Many Canadians DIY successfully
$0-1,500
Legal fees (Mexican or complex case)
$1,500-3,500
Credential evaluation (if needed)
$200-400
Total typical out-of-pocket (Canadian)
$56-2,000
Common pitfalls
- Picking the wrong occupation. 'Product manager' and 'growth lead' aren't on the list. Many modern roles map cleanly to 'management consultant' or 'computer systems analyst', but the support letter has to do the work, describe duties that genuinely fit the listed occupation, not just rename the role.
- Filing a green card petition while on TN without switching status first. Border officers can deny entry on the next trip because the I-140 is evidence of immigrant intent. Move to H-1B or O-1 before the green card filing.
- Showing up at the border with a thin support letter. Border officers spend 5-15 minutes per case and decide based on the documents in front of them. A weak letter is the leading reason for TN refusal.
- Misclassifying a Canadian PR as a Canadian citizen. PRs of Canada don't qualify, only citizens. Same for Mexico.
- Forgetting that TN status is location-specific. If you change employers, you need a new TN with the new employer's support letter. Quitting without a new offer means leaving the US.
- Trying to renew TN with the same documents from three years ago. Each renewal needs a current support letter, current employer relationship, and current credentials. Don't show stale documents.
Consider these instead
US
H-1B Specialty Occupation
If your role doesn't fit a TN occupation but you have a bachelor's in a related field, H-1B is the conventional alternative (with lottery risk).
Read more →
US
O-1A Extraordinary Ability
If you have a strong portfolio of awards, press, or publications, O-1A bypasses both the TN occupation list and H-1B lottery, and allows dual intent for green card filing.
Read more →
US
L-1 Intracompany Transferee
If your current Canadian or Mexican employer has a US office, L-1 lets you transfer with a longer runway and clean green card pathway via EB-1C.
Read more →
Frequently asked
Can I apply for a green card while on TN?
It's complicated. TN is non-immigrant only, no dual intent. Filing an I-140 doesn't automatically violate status, but on your next entry the border officer can refuse re-admission if the I-140 is evidence of immigrant intent. Common practice: switch to H-1B or O-1 (both allow dual intent) before filing the green card petition.
How long can I stay on TN?
Indefinitely, in three-year renewable increments. There's no statutory cap. The catch is non-immigrant intent, at some point if you've been in the US a decade and have no return plan, an officer may question intent.
Can my spouse work on TD?
No. TD dependent status doesn't include work authorisation. TD spouses can study but not work. This is a common pain point for dual-career couples and one of TN's biggest practical disadvantages versus L-1 (L-2 spouses can work).
Does my role have to be on the USMCA list?
Yes. The TN occupation list is closed, only those listed professions qualify. Roles that don't fit need to be rewritten in the support letter to map to a listed occupation, or you need a different visa category.
Is TN faster than H-1B?
Vastly. Canadians get TN status the same day at the border. Mexicans clear consulate processing in 2-6 weeks. H-1B requires the March lottery, April-June petition filing, and an October 1 start, best case 7-9 months from registration.
Can I switch from TN to H-1B?
Yes. Your employer can register you for the H-1B lottery while you're on TN, file the H-1B petition if selected, and you change status to H-1B on October 1 (or earlier if approved with change-of-status). TN time doesn't count toward the H-1B six-year cap.
What if my TN application is refused at the border?
You can withdraw the application before a formal refusal is recorded, fix the issue, and try again at the same or different port. A formal refusal is more serious, it can affect future entries even on other visa categories. If the support letter is weak or the occupation mapping is off, withdraw, regroup, and re-file.
Other United States visas
Work Visa
O-1A Extraordinary Ability
3-year work visa for individuals with extraordinary ability in sciences, business, education, or athletics. Requires a US sponsor.
Work Visa
O-1B Extraordinary Ability (Arts)
Same O-1 framework but for arts, film, and TV. Slightly different criteria emphasising commercial/critical success.
Permanent Residency
EB-1A Extraordinary Ability (Green Card)
Self-petitioned green card for individuals at the very top of their field. No employer sponsor needed.
Permanent Residency
EB-1B Outstanding Professor / Researcher
Green card for academic researchers and professors with 3+ years of experience and a US job offer from a university or research institution.
Permanent Residency
EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver)
Self-petitioned green card waiving the job-offer requirement, on the basis that the candidate's work is in the US national interest.
Work Visa
H-1B Specialty Occupation
Lottery-based work visa for specialty occupations. Requires a sponsoring US employer and a bachelor's degree or equivalent.
Ready when you are
Find your immigration path.
Pick where you're headed. We score you against every visa we cover in that country.
1 of 4 selected.
Show me my matches, free→