No blanket conclusion follows from foreign ownership alone. Review the actual employment and ownership arrangement.
Explain the substantive facts
Identify the U.S. employer and relevant links. TN does not authorize general U.S. self-employment, but a Canadian interest should not be treated as an automatic disqualification.
Build a dated review file around the offer letter, occupation entry, passport, credential records, and actual employer. Record the applicant’s citizenship, the offered profession, its credential rule, the U.S. employer, and every ownership link requiring explanation. Its practical purpose is to decide whether the stated job fits one listed occupation and whether the applicant meets its particular credential rule, rather than to collect papers with no stated issue. Hypothetical example: a forestry consultant is offered a role called ‘territory lead’ but will prepare timber-management analyses for one employer. Compare the proposed analyses with the profession entry, credentials, employer control, and any ownership documents before deciding the label fits. Start with citizenship and the actual employer, test the duties against the listed profession, and finish by matching each credential to its rule. A recurring problem is treating a commercial title or a Canadian residence document as proof of the occupation or citizenship requirement. TN is limited to a citizen of Canada or Mexico who has prearranged duties in a listed profession and meets that profession's rule. A Canadian can request admission during inspection or preclearance; an employer can also use an I-129 petition with USCIS. Neither procedure authorizes U.S. self-employment. Revisit TN eligibility whenever the employer, professional duties, ownership interest, or proposed side activity shifts before admission or filing.