IN THIS GUIDE · Handling a fragile original diploma and arranging replacement records before the document is needed
Start with the TN eligibility and application overview
Assess the physical document before planning around it
Look at the diploma honestly: is the name legible, is the conferral date readable, is the seal or signature intact, has it been laminated, folded, or water-damaged? Lamination in particular can complicate any later examination of the document. Deciding whether the original is presentable is the first step, because it determines whether the plan is to carry it or to replace it with records the institution can reissue. Record the full name exactly as it appears on the passport and compare it with the award record before ordering replacements. A mismatch is often easier to explain with a contemporaneous name-change record than after the school has issued a new document under incomplete instructions.
Ask the awarding institution what it can reissue
Institutions differ in what they offer: a replacement parchment, a certified true copy, an official transcript, or a registrar's letter confirming the degree and conferral date. Each is a different record with its own process and timeline. If the institution has closed or merged, requests usually route through a successor body or a provincial or national archive, and identifying the correct office can take time on its own. Ask whether the issuer can send a sealed record directly to the applicant or whether collection requires identification, a notarized request, or a representative. That practical answer determines who must act first and prevents a courier booking from becoming the next unresolved step.
Do not assume a scan substitutes for the original
Scans are useful for counsel review, for the employer's file, and as insurance against loss, but they are not automatically a substitute for the document itself. What an officer may wish to see is not something to guess at from a forum post. Ask counsel what to carry for this particular file, and separately make sure the applicant knows which physical records they can actually produce on the day. Hypothetical example: an aquatic-robotics technician has a temporary U.S. offer that depends on a degree from a former institute. The first review compares the offer’s duties, the profession’s prescribed qualification, and the institute’s successor-record procedure. The decision is whether the available records support the chosen classification before the applicant commits to a departure date.
Protect and transport the original deliberately
If the original is travelling, keep it flat in a rigid folder, unfolded, unstapled, and unlaminated, in carry-on baggage with the passport rather than in checked luggage. Keep a high-resolution scan and, where available, a certified copy at home. Handling the document as little as possible between now and the date it is needed is the simplest way to avoid making a fragile record worse. Create a contents list showing where each original, certified copy and scan will be during the trip. The list is not evidence of eligibility, but it lets the applicant notice a missing item before reaching the inspection process and keeps the credential review distinct from the admission decision.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-07. This guide covers a preparation focus; it is not an individual eligibility assessment.