30,000 TN visas have been delivered in 2019.
Eligibility
To petition for a TN, you and the position offered should be eligible.
Occupation’s Requirements
The TN occupation should be part of the NAFTA occupations list.
You and the entity should have an employer-employee relationship (W-2 part-time or full-time, no 1099 contract).
Candidate’s Requirements
- You should be a Mexican (TN2) or Canadian (TN1) citizen,
- and you wish to pursue one of the NAFTA occupations listed above
- and fulfill the requirements here for the occupation.
Length of Stay
TN Visa & Employment Duration
The TN can be granted for up to 3 years and renewed as long as you and your occupation qualify. It can be less:
- if the period of your offer of employment is less: in this case, the TN will be issued for the indicated time of your offer of employment,
- if your passport is valid for less than 3 years, the TN will be issued until the expiration date of your passport.
You’ll be tied to working for your employer(s) willing to take on the TN obligations. As long as you are employed at your TN employer, your TN is valid until its expiration date. If you are laid off or decide to end your current employment, your TN visa will stay valid for 10 days after your last day working for your TN employer. You’ll have 10 days to transfer your TN visa or file a change of status.
Visa & Employment Transfer
Change of Employer
As long as your TN is valid and you and your new occupation are eligible for a TN, you will be able to change your employer. To change your employer, your new employer will need to file the form I-129 with USCIS (if you are still in the USA), or you can request your TN outside the USA as you did the first time (see the process below).
Transfer to Another Visa
There are no restrictions on filing for or getting another type of visa other than the TN when you have a valid TN visa or after.
Compensation & Benefits
You can work part-time or full-time for an employer and work for one or multiple employers as long as each job qualifies as a NAFTA occupation. In that case, you’ll need one TN visa for each employer; you can hold several TN visas simultaneously.
Family
Your spouse and unmarried children under 21 can be your dependents and will be able to come and live in the United States with you under a TD visa.
Your spouse and children with a TD can study in the United States.
Your spouse with a TD cannot file for an EAD (Employment Authorization Document).
Process
Process Step by Step
Here is the process in this correct order:
- Find a job at an entity willing to hire you as a NAFTA professional
- Apply for the TN (at the U.S. embassy for Mexicans or at a port entry when you travel to the United States for Canadians)
- Get the TN visa and travel to the USA (if you are outside the USA)
You can not skip any steps. For example, if you haven’t received a job proposal from an entity willing to hire you as a NAFTA professional, you won’t be able to apply for a TN visa.
Job Search Duration
Your job search duration (step 1 above) will vary depending on your profile and the difficulty for U.S. employers to hire in your field. In addition, you might need to pass a U.S. license to be authorized to work in your field in the USA.
By using USponsorMe, you’ll save 10x more time; see why here. Our jobs are open to NAFTA professionals. But more importantly, when you subscribe to one of our USponsorMe+ plans, we will tell you if your project is feasible with a TN or what is missing in your profile to be feasible, how long we estimate your job search will take, and select TN jobs for you and send them to you.
The time to get a job using USponsorMe varies depending on the number of jobs you receive and apply for monthly, your fit for the jobs, the quality of your applications, and your performance at job interviews. For example, a USponsorMe member with all licenses and credentials needed, with an American resume and cover letter rewritten by an expert, who applies for five or more targeted jobs on USponsorMe weekly and is ready to master job interviews, usually gets the ideal job offer with visa sponsorship within 4 months.
Visa Process Duration
The visa process is step 2 above.
For Canadian candidates, it is immediately at the port of entry.
For Mexican candidates, getting an appointment at the consulates/embassies takes 3 weeks. There are nine consulates and 1 US embassy in Mexico.
Visa Fees
Fees for a TN visa are estimated to be up to $1,250 USD.