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MONTRÉAL-EST · TN FIELD GUIDE

Do transferred credits weaken the degree for TN purposes?

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THE DIRECT ANSWER

Transferred credits do not create a second credential, and they do not change what the conferring institution awarded. What matters is whether the degree, as awarded, meets the credential requirement of the specific listed profession, which some listings state as a baccalaureate or licenciatura and others state differently.

Match the award to the listed profession

Credential requirements are profession-specific. Graphic Designer, for example, is listed with a baccalaureate or licenciatura, or alternatively a post-secondary diploma or certificate together with three years of experience; other professions are stated differently, and some accept a licence. Read the exact listing for the profession in question rather than assuming a general degree rule, and confirm that reading with counsel.

An accommodation concerns access and participation; it does not replace the TN evidence of citizenship, listed profession, qualifications, prearranged professional employment and temporary entry. None of that disqualifies anything, but the prearranged activity has to be professional work within the listed profession, and a description in which the listed activity is a footnote invites the conclusion that the applicant was engaged for something else. Before departure, the applicant should establish Canadian or Mexican citizenship, a prearranged position in a listed USMCA profession, and the precise qualification that profession demands; Canadian permanent resident status is different.