Pursuant to the NAFTA excerpt below, an applicant seeking admission as a TN (Treaty Nafta) professional, must demonstrate their ability to perform one of the enumerated professions at a professional level within the U.S. A TN status will be good for up to three years. TN applications can be filed at the border on entry to the country, and thus are a fast and flexible means of hiring qualified talent.
The professions in Appendix 1603.D.1 and the minimum requirements for qualification for each are as follows:[i]
Appendix 1603.D.1 (Annotated)
- Accountant–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or C.P.A., C.A., C.G.A., or C.M.A.
- Architect–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial license.[ii]
- Computer Systems Analyst–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or Post-Secondary Diploma[iii] or Post Secondary Certificate [iv] and three years’ experience.
- Disaster relief insurance claims adjuster (claims adjuster employed by an insurance company located in the territory of a Party, or an independent claims adjuster)–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree and successful completion of training in the appropriate areas of insurance adjustment pertaining to disaster relief claims; or three years experience in claims adjustment and successful completion of training in the appropriate areas of insurance adjustment pertaining to disaster relief claims.
- Economist–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree.
- Engineer–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial license
- Forester–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial license
- Graphic Designer–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or Post-Secondary Diploma or Post-Secondary Certificate and three years experience.
- Hotel Manager–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree in hotel/restaurant management; or Post-Secondary Diploma or Post-Secondary Certificate in hotel/restaurant management and three years experience in hotel/restaurant management.
- Industrial Designer–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or Post-Secondary Diploma or Post-Secondary Certificate, and three years experience.
- Interior Designer–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or Post-Secondary Diploma or Post-Secondary Certificate, and three years experience.
- Land Surveyor–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree or state/provincial/federal license.
- Landscape Architect–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree.
- Lawyer (including Notary in the province of Quebec)–L.L.B., J.D., L.L.L., B.C.L., or Licenciatura degree (five years); or membership in a state/provincial bar.
- Librarian–M.L.S., or B.L.S. (for which another Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree was a prerequisite).
- Management Consultant–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or equivalent professional experience as established by statement or professional credential attesting to five years experience as a management consultant, or five years experience in a field of specialty related to the consulting agreement.
- Mathematician (including Statistician)–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree.
- Range Manager/Range Conservationist–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree.
- Research Assistant (working in a post-secondary educational institution)–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree.
- Scientific Technician/Technologist[v]–Possession of (a) theoretical knowledge of any of the following disciplines: agricultural sciences, astronomy, biology, chemistry, engineering, forestry, geology, geophysics, meteorology, or physics; and (b) the ability to solve practical problems in any of those disciplines, or the ability to apply principles of any of those disciplines to basic or applied research.
- Social Worker–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree.
- Sylviculturist (including Forestry Specialist)–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree.
- Technical Publications Writer–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree, or Post-Secondary Diploma or Post-Secondary Certificate, and three years experience.
- Urban Planner (including Geographer)–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree.
- Vocational Counselor–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree.
MEDICAL/ALLIED PROFESSIONALS
- Dentist–D.D.S., D.M.D., Doctor en Odontologia or Doctor en Cirugia Dental or state/provincial license.
- Dietitian–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial license.
- Medical Laboratory Technologist (Canada)/Medical Technologist (Mexico and the United States)[vi]–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or Post-Secondary Diploma or Post-Secondary Certificate, and three years experience.
- Nutritionist–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree.
- Occupational Therapist–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial license.
- Pharmacist–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial license.
- Physician (teaching or research only)–M.D. Doctor en Medicina; or state/provincial license.
- Physiotherapist/Physical Therapist–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial license.
- Psychologist–state/provincial license; or Licenciatura Degree.
- Recreational Therapist–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree.
- Registered Nurse–state/provincial license or Licenciatura Degree.
- Veterinarian–D.V.M., D.M.V., or Doctor en Veterinaria; or state/provincial license.
SCIENTIST
- Agriculturist (including Agronomist)–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree.
- Animal Breeder–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree.
- Animal Scientist–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree.
- Apiculturist–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree.
- Astronomer–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree.
- Biochemist–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree.
- Biologist–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree.
- Chemist–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree.
- Dairy Scientist–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree.
- Entomologist–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree.
- Epidemiologist–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree.
- Geneticist–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree.
- Geochemist–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree.
- Geologist–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree.
- Geophysicist (including Oceanographer in Mexico and the United States)–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree.
- Horticulturist–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree.
- Meteorologist–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree.
- Pharmacologist–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree.
- Physicist (including Oceanographer in Canada)–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree.
- Plant Breeder–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree.
- Poultry Scientist–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree.
- Soil Scientist–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree.
- Zoologist–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree.
TEACHER
- College–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree.
- Seminary–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree.
- University–Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree.
** This memo is provided for informational and discussion purposes only. It does not act as a substitute for direct legal contact on an individual basis **
[i] A business person seeking temporary employment under this Appendix may also perform training functions relating to the profession, including conducting seminars.
[ii] The terms “state/provincial” and “state/provincial/federal license” mean any document issued by a state, provincial, or federal government, as the case may be, or under its authority, but not by a local government, that permits a person to engage in a regulated activity or profession.
[iii] “Post Secondary Diploma” means a credential issued, on completion of two or more years of post secondary education, by an accredited academic institution in Canada or the United States.
[iv] “Post Secondary Certificate” means a certificate issued, on completion of two or more years of post secondary education at an academic institution, by the federal government of Mexico or a state government in Mexico, an academic institution recognized by the federal government or a state government, or academic institution created by federal or state law.
[v] A business person in this category must be seeking temporary entry for work in direct support of professionals in agricultural sciences, astronomy, biology, chemistry, engineering, forestry, geology, geophysics, meteorology or physics.
[vi] A business person in this category must be seeking temporary entry to perform in a laboratory chemical, biological, hematological, immunologic, microscopic or bacteriological tests and analyses for diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of diseases.
