Read the general professional work overview
Before preparing a TN file, compare the offer, contract and proposed employer letter side by side. A different salary, reporting line or start date is a question to resolve with the employer, not a choice of whichever document looks strongest. Keep the original records and obtain an accurate explanation of any change. Two documents that disagree are not merely an administrative annoyance; they are two competing accounts of the same job, and a file can carry only one. Decide which account is true before deciding which paper to submit. A discrepancy settled by choosing the more favourable version tends to reappear later as a question the applicant is not equipped to answer, because the other document still exists and still says something else. Ask the employer which version they would stand behind if the question were put in writing.
Build a discrepancy table
Use one row for each factual difference: employer name, worksite, duties, hours, compensation and proposed duration. Record the wording and date of each source. A later document may reflect a real change, but its date alone does not explain why another signed document remains inconsistent. Ask the employer which terms apply and whether an amendment is needed.
Distinguish a translation issue from a changed job
Compare French and English descriptions by responsibility rather than by the prestige of the job title. If one version says that you supervise staff and another says that you advise them, have the employer clarify the actual arrangement. A translator should translate the underlying facts; the employer must resolve an inaccurate description. Retain both language versions for review.
Keep the unresolved items visible
Mark open questions instead of filling gaps with assumptions. A hypothetical example is an offer listing one worksite while the contract allows assignments at client premises: the reviewer needs the actual planned arrangement. Resolving paperwork inconsistencies does not establish TN eligibility by itself. The profession, qualifications and proposed activities still require assessment.
Rank the documents by who is bound by them
Ordering the paperwork by obligation usually predicts how it will be weighed. An employment contract binds both parties and was negotiated; a support letter is written for the file and binds nobody; an internal job description may never have been shown to the employee at all. Where contract and letter differ, the safer working assumption is that the contract describes the arrangement while the letter describes an intention about it. Run the comparison in the other direction as well: where the letter is the more restrictive of the two, the broader contract terms remain what the parties actually signed, and work carried out under them will not match what was described. Ask the employer to amend the contract rather than to soften the letter, since an amendment changes the arrangement while careful wording changes only the description of it.
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.