Read the general professional work overview
A Frontenac Islands graphic designer with a three-year college diploma and eight years of work, currently freelancing for a Kingston agency, is offered an in-house position at a U.S. marketing firm. The Graphic Designer listing accepts a baccalaureate degree, or a post-secondary diploma or certificate together with three years of experience. The diploma route is legitimate, but the experience must be proved with documents, not a portfolio. Canadian citizenship, a temporary intent, disclosure of any ownership interest in the employer and no self-employment in the United States are also required. A first review should decide whether the diploma-and-experience alternative is being used and identify the one record that proves each claimed year. The employer must also be prepared to describe a supervised employee role, not a client relationship repackaged for the application. That decision affects which contracts, invoices, reference letters, and payroll records are worth obtaining before travel is arranged.
Which document decides it: the experience letters
Hypothetical example: a Frontenac Islands designer's portfolio is excellent and her diploma is in hand, but her eight years of work were spent as a freelancer for several agencies. The listing's alternative requires three years of experience, and an officer will want letters from the businesses that engaged her, each stating the dates, the nature of the design work and the relationship. Invoices and contracts corroborate the letters. A portfolio shows skill, not duration, and does not substitute. If one long engagement covers three full years on its own, lead with it; if the experience is spread across clients, the letters must add up to three years without gaps that leave the total in doubt. Hypothetical example: A Frontenac Islands exhibition designer relies on projects completed for six small museums. She should obtain letters that name the design work, dates, and the institution’s relationship to her, then match them against contracts and payment records. A gallery brochure may prove the work existed, but not how long she performed it.
Freelance history and the self-employment rule
Her past self-employment in Canada is not a problem; the TN restriction is on self-employment in the United States. The offer must be for bona fide employment by the U.S. marketing firm, with a salary and supervision; any ownership interest must be disclosed, and a sole or controlling interest would indicate prohibited self-employment. If the firm proposes to engage her as an independent contractor rather than an employee, the arrangement should be restructured before any application, because a contractor invoicing a U.S. client from a U.S. address is self-employed there. The employer letter should describe the graphic-design work, the diploma-and-experience basis and the temporary period. The reader must decide whether any proposed U.S. arrangement gives the firm ordinary employer control over hours, duties, and payment. If it instead leaves the designer operating an independent client business, the arrangement needs restructuring before it is presented as TN employment.
Assembling the file for the port of entry
As a Canadian citizen she may apply at a port of entry or the employer may file Form I-129 with USCIS. The file should contain the diploma and transcript, the experience letters with corroborating contracts, the employer letter, her passport and a brief cover sheet stating that she relies on the diploma-plus-experience alternative and totalling the years claimed. Documents in French or another language need certified translations for a USCIS filing and should be translated for the border as well. Her spouse and children under 21 may accompany in TD status, which permits study but not employment. Put the documents in a sequence that lets an officer confirm identity, profession, credential route, offer, and temporary assignment without searching. A short index can identify the record that resolves each issue, while originals remain available for inspection.
What else is on your mind?
Is a matching job title enough for TN?Can years of experience replace a degree for TN?Can my own U.S. company employ me under TN?Can my spouse work if I hold TN status?Editorial source review: 2026-09-07. General preparation guidance, not an individual assessment.