# Getting TN for working in the US



## Eclectic12 (Oct 20, 2010)

humble_pie said:


> ... he holds a special kind of visa that may not have existed back in the day. These are for highly skilled workers, i believe mostly all in IT ...


Actually for a TN visa, IT has a couple of slots on a much longer list that includes Accountant, Architect, Hotel Manager, Land Surveyor, Range Manager/Conservationalist etc.

Some of the most interesting ones IMO include:
a) Disaster Relief Insurance Claims Adjuster 
b) Librarian
c) Urban Planner
d) Nutritionist
e) given Occupational Therapist is on the list, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that Recreational Therapist is as well
f) Animal Breeder
g) Dairy Scientist
h) Plant Breeder


Cheers


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## SMK (Dec 10, 2015)

^ Right, interesting list. http://canadiansinusa.com/Working-in-the-US/tn-visa.html


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

Eclectic12 said:


> Actually for a TN visa, IT has a couple of slots on a much longer list that includes Accountant, Architect, Hotel Manager, Land Surveyor, Range Manager/Conservationalist etc.


I'm using the Engineer category of TN, by the way. It will be interesting to see how NAFTA/TN changes shape up.


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## SMK (Dec 10, 2015)

^Did you get the TN visa at a POE?


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

SMK said:


> ^Did you get the TN visa at a POE?


I got it at Vancouver airport CBP pre-clearance, YVR. (It's not a visa by the way; TN is a visa-less status for Canadian citizens)


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## Eclectic12 (Oct 20, 2010)

I applied for and received mine at Pearson International Airport (I'd call it exit but likely is considered entry from a US perspective). 

My category was management consultant.

Co-workers who ignored the advice to dress to look the part spent hours being grilled before the TN visa was granted, after their flight had left. I dressed the part where I was in/out to the lounge for my flight in twenty minutes ... but that was a long time ago.


Cheers


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## Eclectic12 (Oct 20, 2010)

james4beach said:


> ... It's not a visa by the way; TN is a visa-less status for Canadian citizens ...


Interesting ... back in the day, once approved/paid for my passport was stamped with a special stamp that had an expiry on it. Each time I entered the US to work, the US agent flipped to the specific page then checked if it had expired yet.

Has that process changed?


Cheers


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

Eclectic12 said:


> Interesting ... back in the day, once approved/paid for my passport was stamped with a special stamp that had an expiry on it. Each time I entered the US to work, the US agent flipped to the specific page then checked if it had expired yet.
> 
> Has that process changed?


That part is more or less the same. My passport has a stamp, and the agent wrote in the employer's name and TN expiry date. But this is not a US visa.

The US visa is a large (sticker?) that is pasted into the passport. It looks like this, and has specific characteristics such as a registration number
http://www.digjamaica.com/app/webroot/img/us-visa1.gif

I ran into this confusion when talking with my employer/lawyer. Sometimes they expected to see a visa, which has a specific format. The TN thing stamped in a Canadian passport does not look like a visa (because it isn't one). However, the TN can also come in visa form, which is where the confusion comes from. I had to carefully explain to the company's lawyer that what I have is not a visa. This was not clear to them until I showed pictures.

This confusion can get more serious in bank documentation where they want an "Alien Registration Number", which exists only on the visa. Where I come from... the friendly planet Canada... us aliens do not have registration numbers.


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

The US does not appear to be overhauling NAFTA too dramatically
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/nafta-ustr-trump-renegotiation-1.4208794

Here's a document summarizing the USA's priorities for NAFTA renegotiation:
https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/files/Press/Releases/NAFTAObjectives.pdf

I don't see anything in there about changing NAFTA TN professional status.


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## Eclectic12 (Oct 20, 2010)

james4beach said:


> That part is more or less the same. My passport has a stamp, and the agent wrote in the employer's name and TN expiry date. But this is not a US visa.
> 
> The US visa is a large (sticker?) that is pasted into the passport. It looks like this, and has specific characteristics such as a registration number ...


I'll have to see if I still have my expired passport as your sample looks the same as what was pasted into my passport as being a TN visa.


Cheers


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

Eclectic12 said:


> I'll have to see if I still have my expired passport as your sample looks the same as what was pasted into my passport as being a TN visa.


Interesting, so perhaps in your day they actually issued TN visas.

In comparison, here's what mine looks like:
https://www.visalawyerblog.com/files/2014/05/tn.jpg

If you find your expired passport, I'm curious which of the two you had -- the official visa, or this light weight stamp with hand written notes.


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## Eclectic12 (Oct 20, 2010)

The million dollar question is whether I still have it ... I have been cleaning up so it might be gone.


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

I've been watching the NAFTA positioning by the US administration, and now Canada's response
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/nafta-canada-demands-list-1.4246498

TNs are not on the chopping block at all. If anything, there's talk of _increasing_ the list of eligible professions.

I don't think there's any danger that I will lose my ability to work with a TN.


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## cedebe (Feb 1, 2012)

james4beach said:


> I've been watching the NAFTA positioning by the US administration, and now Canada's response
> http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/nafta-canada-demands-list-1.4246498
> 
> TNs are not on the chopping block at all. If anything, there's talk of _increasing_ the list of eligible professions.
> ...


You're writing of the CDN perspective, though. Has the US discussed their intentions around TNs? With trump's 'America first' stance, I wouldn't be surprised if they hope to axe the program altogether, never mind agreeing to it being expanded. I'm particularly interested in this as I'm hoping to acquire one sometime in the future once I finish my degree.


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

The US put out a policy statement on their priorities for NAFTA renegotiation, and they did not mention anything about TN or professional designations. They could always surprise us, but the US administration did not voice any desire to axe the program. It's generally beneficial to US corporations.


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