TN visas are available for individuals who meet the educational requirements and will work in their field. Only citizens of Mexico and Canada may apply for a TN visa.  Often a TN visa can be used instead of an H-1B or L-1A visa. A TN visa has several advantages over these other categories.

1. Lower Costs
2. Can be renewed indefinitely

However, some positions might only qualify for an L-1 or H-1B visa or conversely, only a TN visa. One major-disadvantage of the TN visa is that it does not allow for dual-intent, which can complicate matters for someone who wants to become a U.S. permanent resident.

For more information on which category is right for you, contact an immigration attorney.

List of Eligible Professions for a TN Visa and the 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(2)
• Computer Systems Analyst – Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or Post- Secondary Diploma(3) or Post-Secondary Certificate(4), and three years experience
• Disaster Relief Insurance Claims Adjuster (claims adjuster employed by an insurance company located in the territory of a Party, or an independent 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
• Interior 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. This category is scrutinized closely.
• 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(5) – Possession of
  • 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 – 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/Allied Professional
  • 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 (Canada)/Medical Technologist (Mexico)(6) – 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 in Medicine; 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
  • 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
  • College – Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
  • Seminary – Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
  • University – Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

If you have questions about which classification you might fall under, please contact us. We are here to help you!

Footnotes

1. A business person seeking temporary entry under this Appendix may also perform training functions relating to the profession, including conducting seminars.
2. “State/provincial license” and “state/provincial/federal license” mean any document issued by a state, provincial or federal government, as the case may be, or under its authority, but not by a local government, that permits a person to engage in a regulated activity or profession.
3. “Post-Secondary Diploma” means a credential issued, on completion of two or more years of post-secondary education, by an accredited academic institution in Canada or the United States.
4. “Post-Secondary Certificate” means a certificate issued, on completion of two or more years of post-secondary education at an academic institution, by the federal government of Mexico or a state government in Mexico, an academic institution recognized by the federal government or a state government, or an academic institution created by federal or state law.
5. A business person in this category must be seeking temporary entry to work in direct support of professionals in agricultural sciences, astronomy, biology, chemistry, engineering, forestry, geology, geophysics, meteorology or physics.
6. A business person in this category must be seeking temporary entry to perform in a laboratory chemical, biological, hematological, immunologic, microscopic or bacteriological tests and analyses for diagnosis, treatment or prevention of disease.