Read the general eligibility basics overview
An employer may say the route is TN because that is what it has used before. That practice describes the employer, not your eligibility. TN concerns citizens of Canada and Mexico; recent lawful residence in Canada does not supply that citizenship, and permanent residence alone would not either. Write down your current citizenships, your status in Canada, and what your earlier U.S. record actually contains before the discussion begins.
Record citizenship and status separately from time spent in Canada
Months of residence, a work permit, an application in progress or a permanent residence application under review are not a citizenship. TN concerns Canadian and Mexican citizens, and Canadian permanent residence alone does not provide access. Name every citizenship you hold, including one from a country that might open a different route, and list the documents that prove each. Mark what is already obtained and what is only an intention, so that no hoped-for date becomes the basis of a departure plan.
Reconstruct the older U.S. record before describing it from memory
Hypothetical example: a person living in Saint-Joseph-du-Lac studied in the United States about a decade ago and cannot recall how the last stay ended. The dates, the status held and the entry and departure records are facts to retrieve rather than estimate. Filing a request, issuing a visa, approving a petition, admission and effective work authorization are distinct events; ask which of them your history actually contains. Gather any I-94 records, approval notices and passport stamps you can obtain so they can be reviewed rather than summarized.
Test who the employer is and what role you would fill
Where an employer places your services with a client, identify the entity that will receive the services, the person who directs the work and the location where it is performed. An outsourcing contract shows a commercial arrangement; it does not by itself show that a professional position exists for you. For TN, sole or controlling ownership of the U.S. entity receiving your services is not permitted, even without holding a majority of the shares, and adding a supervisor does not cure it. If a transfer or an investment is raised instead, each has its own criteria: L-1 involves qualifying company relationships and one continuous year of qualifying employment abroad within the relevant three-year period, subject to individual timing, while E-2 involves qualifying treaty nationality.
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.