Read the general eligibility basics overview
A recruiter based in Canada can introduce a U.S. position without being the employer for it. Two facts drive the early analysis: your actual citizenship, and which entity would employ you and sign the offer. A permanent resident card is not the citizenship a category may require, and a posting labelled TN is a description written by whoever wrote the advertisement, not a determination about your file.
State your citizenship, not your status
Distinguish a citizenship you already hold from an application in progress or an intention to apply. TN concerns Canadian and Mexican citizens; Canadian permanent residence alone does not provide access to it, however long you have held the card. Mention every other citizenship in the household, because for E-2 the treaty nationality of the investor and of the enterprise matters, and it sometimes comes from a passport nobody had thought about in years. Record the expiry date of each travel document as well: expiry does not itself change citizenship, but can affect required travel documents and the procedural sequence.
Identify the employer behind the introduction
Ask who will sign the offer, who will direct and supervise the work day to day, who pays, where the work would be performed, and whether an end client is involved. Hypothetical example: a Rosemère candidate receives an offer on a recruiter's letterhead while the work would in fact be directed by a client company. TN requires prearranged qualifying professional employment in the United States, which may be for a U.S. or foreign employer, so the documents should name the actual employer and describe the duties as they will really be performed. Where a staffing or agency structure is proposed, that structure is itself what needs review.
Sort the procedural steps before you plan dates
Filing a petition, issuance of a visa, approval, admission, and effective work authorization are distinct decisions with their own dates and their own conditions. Ask which of them would apply to your citizenship and to the route under discussion, rather than assuming a universal rule about working or travelling while something is pending. Keep your questions about maintaining Canadian status on a separate list for appropriate review: a U.S. plan does not resolve obligations in Canada. If a start date is being pressed on you, name which step it actually depends on.
What else is on your mind?
Does Canadian permanent residence give me access to TN?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?Editorial source review: 2026-09-07. General preparation guidance, not an individual assessment.