US Work Visa for Canadian – Assistance to Apply to Work in the USA
TN NAFTA Professional Visa Overview
TN status is only an option for citizens of Canada and Mexico as part of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). To qualify, the foreign national must have an offer of employment from a US Company to perform work in a designated professional category. Citizens of Canada may apply for TN status at the US Border with Customs and Border Protection, while Citizens of Mexico must obtain a visa from the Embassy / Consulate abroad.
Management and/or executive positions can meet the requirements outlined for classification as a NAFTA professional. However, the management or executive position must require professional-level knowledge in order to successfully meet the job requirements. For example, an architect whose primary job will be to supervise other architects may be approvable even though the TN worker will not directly be engaging in architectural design, but rather using their professional expertise to assess the work of other architects, which requires at least a B.A. or professional credential in architecture. If the supervisory position is more administrative in nature, e.g. ensuring compliance with company regulations and policies, this would likely not require the professional credentialing in order to be successful. As such, it may not meet the requirements for TN classification.
