Read the general professional work overview
Hypothetical example: Severine is a land surveyor in Saint-Majorique-de-Grantham, retracing lot lines and preparing certificates of location for farm transactions. An American firm wants her for boundary work in a neighbouring state. Land Surveyor appears in Appendix 2 of the USMCA, and the entry it carries is satisfied by a baccalaureate degree, or alternatively by a state, provincial or federal licence. Her file therefore rises or falls on documents about licensure, and hers are all in French.
Read the entry before assembling anything
Appendix 2 does not impose one requirement across every occupation. Some entries call for a baccalaureate degree, some for a state or provincial licence, some accept a post-secondary diploma with stated years of experience, and a few offer alternatives. Assembling documents before reading the entry that applies produces thick files missing the one item that mattered. For Severine the licence is the operative proof, so the certificate itself, evidence that it is current, and the issuing body's identification of the profession do more work than her transcripts. Where an entry offers alternatives, choose one and evidence it completely rather than partially evidencing two.
The letter has to name the occupation and describe the work
A support letter that says a firm wishes to engage a surveyor is not enough. It should name the American entity, state the applicant's Canadian citizenship, use the occupation exactly as the appendix words it, and then describe the professional tasks: boundary retracement, subdivision plats, control surveys, preparation of plans for recording. It should give the period requested, the salary and the person to whom she reports, and it should make the employment relationship explicit. Where the American firm also expects incidental work outside the profession, that should be discussed with counsel before it appears in writing rather than discovered by an officer.
French documents need complete certified translations
Every French-language document submitted needs a full English translation together with the translator's certification that the translation is complete and accurate and that they are competent to translate, under the general evidentiary rule in the regulations. Complete is the operative word: summarising a licence certificate or translating only the parts thought relevant creates a document that does not match its original. Severine should have the permit, any professional order attestation, and her diploma translated as whole documents, and should carry the originals alongside. Ordering translations takes days that are always available in advance and never available at a counter.
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.