Do not let that deadline substitute for an assessment of the employment and immigration timeline. Ask the administrator which choices are required now and which depend on leaving employment. Review the consequences before committing to a resignation date that assumes a guaranteed US start.
Keep a decision calendar with responsible contacts
Assign each date to the person who can verify or change it: Canadian HR, a plan administrator, US HR or immigration counsel. Update the calendar when the proposed start shifts. A single list prevents an estimate from one process being mistaken for a binding deadline in another.
TN still requires Canadian or Mexican citizenship, advance arrangements for work in a listed USMCA profession, and satisfaction of that occupation’s particular credentials; it cannot be used for self-employment. A timing review should tie each business date to the record that permits the next step, leaving room to correct a material inconsistency before travel or work begins. A common scheduling failure is booking orientation and productive work for the morning after counsel clears the letter, although no immigration step has been completed. What a teacher must not do is cross as a visitor, start preparing courses on campus, and apply later: employment before admission in TN status is unauthorized work and can affect future applications.