What Is a TN Visa? Eligibility, Documents, and How to Apply

A TN visa is a nonimmigrant work classification created under NAFTA and continued under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) that lets citizens of Canada and Mexico enter the United States temporarily to work in about 60 listed professional occupations. Initial admission runs up to three years, there is no annual cap, and renewals in three-year increments are unlimited so long as the job and the applicant still qualify.¹

Who Qualifies

Four things have to line up:

You are a citizen of Canada or Mexico. Permanent residents of either country who hold other citizenships do not qualify, no matter how long they have lived there. The classification flows from citizenship, not residency.¹
The job falls within one of the professions listed in Appendix 2 to Annex 16-A of the USMCA.
You hold the specific credentials that occupation requires.
Your stay is temporary. You must show the assignment will end at a predictable time and that you intend to depart when it does.¹

You also need a pre-arranged job with a U.S. employer. A job offer letter is not optional.

Which Professions Are Covered

The TN visa is not a general work permit. If your occupation is not on the USMCA list, you cannot use this classification, regardless of your qualifications. The list spans science, engineering, business, healthcare, and education, and each entry names its own credential requirements.²

Some of the most-used categories and what they require:

Accountant: bachelor’s degree or a professional designation (CPA, CA, CGA, or CMA).
Engineer: bachelor’s degree or a state/provincial license.
Computer Systems Analyst: bachelor’s degree, or a post-secondary diploma plus three years of experience.
Management Consultant: bachelor’s degree, or five years of consulting experience supported by a professional credential or statement.
Scientist: bachelor’s degree, covering biologists, chemists, physicists, and related fields.
Graphic Designer: bachelor’s degree, or a post-secondary diploma plus three years of experience.
Pharmacist: bachelor’s degree or a state/provincial license.
Lawyer: LL.B., J.D., or equivalent degree, or bar membership.

The job duties in the employer’s offer letter must match the listed profession in substance, not just in label. A software developer applying as a “computer systems analyst” gets scrutiny if the day-to-day duties look like pure coding rather than systems analysis.²

Credentials Earned Outside North America

Most categories require at least a bachelor’s degree, or the Mexican Licenciatura equivalent. A few accept a post-secondary diploma paired with experience, and management consultants can substitute five years of relevant experience for a degree entirely.¹ Scientific technicians and technologists work under a different standard: no bachelor’s degree required, but typically at least two years of training documented by a diploma or certificate, and USCIS looks at the whole record.³

If your degree was issued outside the U.S., Canada, or Mexico, expect to submit a credentials evaluation from a recognized service showing equivalence to a U.S. or Canadian bachelor’s degree.⁴

A Note on State Licensure

Many TN-eligible fields (engineering, nursing, pharmacy) require a state license to practice. A state license is not required for admission in TN status. Consular officers and CBP treat licensure as a post-entry issue for state authorities to enforce. The exception is nursing: TN applicants providing healthcare services must obtain certification from the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (or another approved credentialing service) before admission.⁵

Self-Employment Is Not Allowed

You cannot use TN status to start your own business or to work as an independent contractor for your own company. The regulation treats you as self-employed if you render services to a corporation or entity where you are the sole or controlling shareholder or owner.¹ The same rule appears in the State Department’s Foreign Affairs Manual used by consular officers reviewing Mexican TN applications.⁵

Working for a company where you hold a minority, non-controlling stake is not automatically barred, but officers examine the arrangement closely. The structure of the business relationship weighs more than the job title on the offer letter.

The Documents You Need

The core package is the same regardless of nationality:

A valid passport, active for the duration of the intended stay.
Proof of Canadian or Mexican citizenship (the passport usually does the work).
Educational credentials: original diploma, official transcripts, or professional certificates, plus a credentials evaluation if the degree was issued outside the U.S., Canada, or Mexico.
An employer support letter describing the job title, a detailed summary of duties, the anticipated length of the stay (up to three years), and the salary or other compensation.

The employer letter does most of the work. Officers use it to decide whether the position genuinely fits a USMCA category, and vague duty descriptions are the most common reason applications run into trouble. The letter should tie specific tasks to the listed profession and explain why the role needs someone with the applicant’s qualifications.¹

How Canadians Apply

Canadian citizens have the simpler path. There is no visa stamp and no consulate visit. You present the documentation package directly to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer at a designated port of entry or at a pre-clearance station in a major Canadian airport.⁴

The officer reviews everything on the spot. If it holds together, you are admitted in TN status and issued an I-94 Arrival/Departure Record specifying your authorized stay. As of September 30, 2025, the I-94 fee at land border ports of entry is $30.⁶

If the officer is not convinced, they may let you withdraw the application and return to Canada. Withdrawal is discretionary, but it avoids a formal removal order, which carries a five-year bar on returning. An applicant who withdraws can regroup and reapply with a stronger package.

How Mexicans Apply

Mexican citizens need a TN visa stamp issued by a U.S. embassy or consulate before traveling. The process starts with Form DS-160, the Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application, and an interview appointment.⁷

At the interview, a consular officer reviews the employer letter and credentials, questions the applicant on the role, and assesses whether the temporary-intent requirement is met. Once approved, the visa is stamped in the passport. Mexican applicants can choose between a 12-month or 48-month TN visa, each with its own reciprocity fee on top of the base application fee. At the border, CBP then issues an I-94 confirming the authorized stay.

What It Costs

Canadians at a land border port of entry pay a $30 I-94 processing fee.⁶
Mexicans pay a $185 nonimmigrant visa application (MRV) fee, plus a reciprocity fee that depends on whether the visa is issued for 12 or 48 months.⁸
If an employer files Form I-129 for you from inside the U.S., the petition carries the current USCIS filing fee plus an Asylum Program Fee of $600 (or $300 for small employers with 25 or fewer full-time equivalents). Confirm current amounts on USCIS Form G-1055 before filing.⁹
Premium processing on an I-129 TN petition is $2,965 and commits USCIS to act within 15 business days.¹⁰

How Long It Lasts, and How to Renew

TN status is granted for up to three years at a time. Extensions run in three-year increments, and there is no statutory ceiling on how many renewals you can stack. Some professionals have maintained TN status for a decade or more.¹

Two ways to renew. Canadians can present an updated package at a port of entry. Alternatively, for anyone already in the U.S., the employer can file Form I-129 to extend the stay without leaving the country.⁹

The pressure point on long-term renewals is temporary intent. If an officer decides your successive renewals amount in practice to permanent residence in the U.S., they can deny the extension. Keeping a home abroad, family ties outside the U.S., and a clear end-point for the assignment all help.

Family Members: TD Status

A spouse and unmarried children under 21 can accompany a TN worker in TD (Trade Dependent) status. They do not have to be Canadian or Mexican citizens themselves. Proof of the relationship (marriage certificate, birth certificates) is what the application turns on. TD dependents can apply at the same time as the TN holder or later, but not before the TN holder’s first admission.¹¹

TD dependents cannot work in the United States. To take a job, a TD holder needs separate work authorization under a different visa classification.¹¹ They can attend school full-time. A child ages out at 21.

Changing Employers

TN status is tied to a specific employer. You cannot just start working for a new company. You need new TN authorization for the new employer before you begin.

The new employer can file Form I-129 with USCIS while you stay in the U.S., attaching a new employer support letter with the job title, duties, salary, and work location. You cannot begin the new job until the petition is approved unless premium processing accelerates things. Alternatively, you can leave the U.S. and re-apply at a port of entry with a fresh package, which suits Canadians who live near the border.⁹

Working for a new employer without updating your TN status is a status violation and can undermine later visa applications and immigration benefits.

If the Job Ends

Losing a TN job does not require immediate departure. Federal regulations allow a grace period of up to 60 consecutive days, or until the end of your authorized stay if that comes first, during which you are still treated as maintaining status. It applies whether the termination is voluntary or involuntary.¹²

You cannot work during those 60 days without separate authorization. The window is time to find a new employer willing to file an I-129, request a change of status to another visa category, or prepare to leave. If you do nothing, you and any TD dependents have to depart when the grace period ends. It is available once per authorized validity period, and USCIS can shorten or eliminate it in individual cases.¹²

TN Status and the Green Card

The TN visa is not a dual-intent classification. H-1B holders can openly pursue permanent residency while keeping their status; TN holders are required to enter with the intent to leave when the assignment ends.¹

A green card is still possible. Plans can change after arrival, and many TN holders eventually adjust through employer-sponsored immigrant petitions. The risk is timing: a filing pattern that suggests you always intended to stay permanently can make it harder to renew TN status or re-enter, because border officers may question your temporary intent. This is the part of the process where getting immigration counsel involved tends to be worth the money.

1
eCFR. 8 CFR 214.6 – Citizens of Canada or Mexico Seeking Temporary Entry Under USMCA to Engage in Business Activities at a Professional Level
2
Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. USMCA Chapter 16 Temporary Entry for Business Persons – Appendix 2 to Annex 16-A
3
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 2 Part P Chapter 6 – Requirements for Specific Occupations
4
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. TN USMCA Professionals
5
U.S. Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual. 9 FAM 402.17 USMCA Professionals – TN and TD Visas
6
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. I-94 – Payment Process
7
U.S. Embassy and Consulates. TN Visa – How to Apply
8
U.S. Department of State. Fees for Visa Services
9
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker
10
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS to Increase Premium Processing Fees
11
eCFR. 8 CFR 214.6 – Citizens of Canada or Mexico Seeking Temporary Entry Under USMCA to Engage in Business Activities at a Professional Level
12
eCFR. 8 CFR 214.1 – Requirements for Admission, Extension, and Maintenance of Status