TN NAFTA Professional

Mexican and Canadian nationals may enter the United States on TN visas under the North American Free Trade Agreement. For Canadians, TNs are much simpler to process than for Mexicans. For Canadians, an application is made at a border point of entry by demonstrating Canadian citizenship, a job offer from a U.S. employer for a position listed on the TN list of qualifying positions (mostly technical positions), proof of an unrelinquished foreign domicile in Canada, and the application fee. The TN visa is valid for 36 months and may be renewed indefinitely by making a new application at a border point of entry. Because there is no application form and no clear adjudicatory standards followed by border inspectors, TN is a highly discretionary category, and success in gaining TN status is highly uncertain. The management consultant category on the TN list, because it is the only non-technical title, is the most difficult to qualify for. For Mexicans, the TN visa requires compliance with regular H-1B procedures.