IN THIS GUIDE · Alternating short US work visits with time in Canada, treating each entry as a separate admission rather than standing permission
Start with the TN eligibility and application overview
Treat every crossing as its own inspection
Frequent travel can create a false sense that a routine has been approved. It has not. A CBP officer inspects each time and decides admission then, based on citizenship, the listed profession, the prearranged professional employment, and temporary entry. A long history of smooth crossings does not remove any of those elements, and an officer who has questions is entitled to ask them on the twelfth trip as readily as the first. For this TN review, identify the record that proves the governing condition before relying on a title or summary.
Read the I-94 record after each entry
The admission record, not memory or a stamp glanced at in the lane, states how long the applicant is authorized to remain. Retrieve it online after each entry and compare the class of admission and the end date against what was expected. Errors happen, and a wrong date discovered months later is far harder to fix than one caught the same week. Keep a dated copy of each record. Compare the proposed arrangement with current corporate, employment, and financial records; a mismatch should be resolved before filing.
Keep the employment basis current between visits
Work authorization attaches to the specific employer and professional position that supported the admission, not to the travel pattern. If duties, the employer entity, or the engagement's scope change while the applicant is back in Canada, the file supporting the next entry no longer matches reality. Ask the employer to confirm, before each stretch of travel, that the role described in the support letter is still the role being performed. Record which fact is established, which remains conditional, and who can provide the missing evidence for the TN decision.
Bring the pattern itself to counsel
A schedule of repeated short entries can raise questions an individual trip would not, particularly around temporary entry and whether the arrangement still resembles the one described. That is a case-specific judgment rather than a rule with a number attached. Counsel who can see the actual travel history, the admission records, and the employment terms is better placed to say whether the pattern needs adjusting or documenting more carefully. Sequence commercial and immigration steps so an irreversible commitment is not made on an assumption about TN approval.
Her credential settles the person, and settles nothing else
Degrees from outside Canada, Mexico or the US need reliable foreign-credential evaluation, while US practice licensing is distinct. Experience cannot universally replace education, and a reference letter should not claim duties or credentials the person did not actually have.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-07. This guide covers a preparation focus; it is not an individual eligibility assessment.