TN Visa for Mexican and Canadian Citizens

TN-1 Requirements for Canadian Citizens

Canadian citizens do not need to get a TN visa from a consulate to enter the United States. Rather, Canadian citizens must show required documentation to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer at certain CBP-designated U.S. ports of entry or a designated pre-clearance/pre-flight inspection station, including:

• 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.

Alternatively, a prospective TN employer can file on behalf of a Canadian citizen currently outside the United States by filing Form I-129, Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker to USCIS.

If USCIS approves Form I-129, the prospective worker can then apply to CBP for admission to the United States as a TN nonimmigrant by providing the following documentation to a CBP Officer at certain CBP-designated U.S. ports of entry or a designated pre-clearance/pre-flight inspection station:

• Proof of Canadian citizenship; and
• Approval Notice from USCIS for Form I-129.

When applying for admission, you should have in your possession a copy of the Form I-129, and all supporting documentation submitted to USCIS in case officers have any questions about your eligibility.

Dependents who are Canadian Citizens also do not need a visa, but they must show the following documents at a CBP designed port of entry or pre-clearance/pre-flght inspection area:

• Proof of Canadian citizenship;
• Proof of relationship to the TN nonimmigrant, such as a marriage certificate or birth certificate;
• Photocopies of the TN nonimmigrant’s admission documents; and
• Proof the TN nonimmigrant is maintaining his or her TN nonimmigrant status.

For dependents who are Mexican Citizens, you must apply for a TD non-immigrant visa at an American embassy/consulate, and for all other non-Canadian citizens, you must check with the Department of State.

Wondering what the difference is with TN Visa vs H-1B for North Americans?  To learn more, book a consultation with one of our immigration attorneys.

Mexican citizens require a TN visa for entry into the United States. The TN-2 visa process is outlined below:

1. Apply directly at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection port of entry

OR

2. Employer submits the TN application along with Form I-129 to USCIS and then enter through U.S. port of entry once you have received approval

1. Submit the necessary documents to a U.S. embassy or consulate with Form DS-160
2. Attend an interview
3. Once approved they can apply for entrance at select CBP-designated U.S. ports or certain pre-clearance stations

• 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 PostSecondary Diploma or PostSecondary 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 PostSecondary Diploma or PostSecondary Certificate, and three years experience

• Hotel Manager – Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree in hotel/restaurant management; or PostSecondary Diploma or PostSecondary Certificate in hotel/restaurant management, and three years experience in hotel/restaurant management

• Industrial Designer – Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or PostSecondary Diploma or PostSecondary 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 PostSecondary Diploma or PostSecondary Certificate, and three years experience

• Urban Planner (including Geographer) – Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

• Vocational Counsellor – Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

• 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

• 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

• College – Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

• Seminary – Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

• University – Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree