Read the condition alongside the professional role
Hypothetical example: an applicant receives an accounting offer that starts after a current engagement is completed, but the new employer also expects customer-sales coverage. Record the condition, the duties and their expected proportions. An accountant title does not answer whether the proposed activities fit the listed profession. A useful letter translates the working week into professional outputs: calculations, reports, regulated analyses, client advice, or project decisions. Compare that list with the selected TN profession before finalizing a title. A duty that takes a minor, documented share may be easier to explain than a sales or operations function that consumes the assignment. Keep the signed offer, statement of work, and internal job description aligned; conflicting versions invite questions about which version describes the real position.
Use the profession’s own qualification alternatives
For accountant, the TN list includes a baccalaureate or licenciatura degree, or the specified CPA, CA, CGA or CMA credentials. Identify the alternative actually relied on and the evidence establishing it. Do not treat general business experience as an automatic substitute or assume the credential settles any separate practice-licensing question. For each credential, record issuer, completion date, field, and the precise schedule alternative it supports. If a licence is needed where the work occurs, determine whether it must exist before entry or whether supervised activity is permitted while it is obtained. A credential evaluator can address educational equivalence when required, but cannot decide whether actual duties fit the profession. That distinction prevents spending on documents before the central eligibility issue has been resolved.
Identify the intended employment arrangement
Record the employer or receiving entity, remuneration and expected duration. TN professional activities in the United States may be for a U.S. or foreign employer. Sole or controlling ownership of the U.S. entity receiving the applicant’s services is prohibited self-employment; a nominal supervisor does not correct that problem. A Canadian citizen may seek TN classification at a port of entry, or a U.S. employer may file Form I-129; a Canadian generally does not require a TN visa stamp. The payment path, supervisor, worksite, and right to control the work should all point to the same genuine employer arrangement. If the applicant has a stake in a business involved in the project, obtain the ownership documents early and assess control rather than relying on a label such as contractor or consultant. A revised ownership structure immediately before travel is not a cure unless the underlying operational facts also support a bona fide employment relationship.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-07. This guide covers a preparation focus; it is not an individual eligibility assessment.