The TN is a nonimmigrant work visa that lets citizens of Canada and Mexico work in the United States in professional occupations listed under the USMCA. There is no annual cap, no lottery, and no Labor Condition Application. Canadians apply at a U.S. port of entry and are typically admitted the same day. Mexicans apply at a U.S. consulate in Mexico. Status runs up to three years at a time and renews in three-year increments.
The TN is a nonimmigrant work visa created under the North American Free Trade Agreement and continued under the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA, effective July 2020). It allows citizens of Canada and Mexico to work in the United States in designated professional occupations. There is no annual cap, no lottery, and no Labor Condition Application requirement.
USMCA's Appendix 2 to Annex 16-A enumerates approximately 63 qualifying professions, each with specific degree or credential requirements. Adjudicators interpret the list strictly: a position must match a listed profession by both title and substantive duties, and the beneficiary's credentials must match the profession's specified requirements. The frequent mismatch—particularly between 'Computer Systems Analyst' and software-engineering or developer roles—is the single most common TN denial pattern.
Canadians may apply for TN status directly at a U.S. port of entry (land border, preflight inspection, or designated airport) and are typically admitted the same day. Mexican applicants must apply at a U.S. consulate or embassy in Mexico. At Locke Immigration Law, we structure TN cases around the precise profession-degree match required by the listed occupation, prepare the supporting packet with a port-of-entry officer's or consular officer's perspective in mind, and—where the profession list does not cleanly fit—evaluate alternatives (H-1B, L-1, E-3 for Australians, O-1) before recommending TN. Managing Attorney Loren Locke, a former U.S. Foreign Service Officer, brings direct consular-adjudication experience to Mexican TN applications.
No cap, no lottery, no LCA, no fixed maximum total stay—the TN is the fastest path to U.S. employment for citizens of Canada and Mexico when the profession-degree match cleanly fits Appendix 2. When it does not, the strict-interpretation rule means a different visa pathway is the right answer.
Eligibility is gated by three independent requirements: citizenship, profession-list match, and credential match. All three must be satisfied; meeting two of the three is not enough.
Canadian or Mexican citizenship (lawful permanent residents do not qualify)
Job offer from a U.S. employer for a position that matches one of the approximately 63 USMCA Appendix 2 professions in both title and substantive duties
Credentials precisely matching the listed profession's requirements—generally a U.S. bachelor's degree (or licenciatura, or qualifying equivalent), and for certain occupations a post-secondary diploma plus 3 years of experience
Where applicable, the state-specific professional license required for the occupation
Schedule a consultation with Loren Locke to see if this visa is the right fit.
Schedule a ConsultationWe confirm the offered position matches a USMCA-listed profession by both title and duties, and that the beneficiary's credentials match the profession's specified requirements. The strict interpretation of Appendix 2 is where most TN cases succeed or fail; we do this analysis before drafting the offer letter.
We prepare or revise the offer letter to clearly identify the listed profession by name, describe duties in language consistent with the profession's USMCA description, specify the temporary nature of the assignment, and document compensation. We assemble degree records, transcripts, licenses, and—for experience-based qualifying occupations—employment letters substantiating the required years.
Canadians apply at a U.S. port of entry (land border, preflight inspection, or designated airport) and are typically admitted the same day; the inspecting officer's decision is final at the border. Mexicans apply at a U.S. consulate or embassy in Mexico through the DS-160 process and consular interview. The two pathways use the same substantive standard but very different procedural postures.
On admission, the TN beneficiary begins work for the petitioning employer in the approved profession. Status is granted for up to 3 years at a time, renewable indefinitely in 3-year increments either at the port of entry, the consulate, or—from within the U.S.—via Form I-129. Material changes in role or employer require new authorization before taking effect.
Loren Locke
Managing Attorney
Partner-level immigration counsel to Fortune 500 employers at a national firm — and before that, a U.S. diplomat who decided some 12,000 visa applications at the consulate window.
“By far the best immigration lawyer I have ever worked with. Loren was honest and realistic, went above and beyond what I would expect a lawyer's role to be, and has a willingness to do what it takes to help her clients.”
Sudarshan S. — Google Review ★★★★★
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Immigration counsel to Fortune 500 employers at a national firm · Adjudicated 12,000+ visas at the U.S. Consulate, Mexico · Working in U.S. immigration since 2008
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