Read the general eligibility basics overview
A difference in spelling between a permanent resident card and a foreign passport raises an identity question: do these documents describe the same person, and what event explains the difference? Whether you hold the citizenship a U.S. category requires is a second and separate question. Answer them one at a time. Canadian permanent residence alone does not supply the Canadian citizenship the TN route is built on, and a tidy identity record does not create a citizenship you do not have.
Set out the identity chain first
Write every version of your name that appears anywhere: birth record, marriage or civil union record, any change-of-name decree, transliteration variants, each passport, the permanent resident card, your degree, the employment offer, and any earlier U.S. record. Beside each, note the issuing authority and the date. Then identify the event that explains the variation, whether it was a marriage, a legal change of name, or a difference in how one alphabet was rendered into another. Say plainly which documents you can obtain and which you cannot, because that shapes what a reviewer can be shown.
Keep the second question separate
Hypothetical example, used only to illustrate the two questions and not a description of any resident of Saint-Lambert: a person's permanent resident card shows an anglicized given name while their passport uses the original transliteration, and their only citizenship is that of a third country. Correcting or explaining the records is one piece of work. Which U.S. route is available is another. TN concerns Canadian and Mexican citizens; E-2 turns on qualifying treaty nationality; L-1 turns on the company relationship and qualifying employment. A consistent spelling across your documents does not move you into a category you do not otherwise meet.
Prepare the procedural questions
Ask which record would need amending, which authority amends it, and whether anything should be corrected before travel documents are used. Ask which steps apply to your actual citizenship and circumstances, since petition, visa issuance, admission and change of status are distinct decisions with distinct timing. Foreign-language civil documents may need certified English translations for a U.S. filing. Keep questions about maintaining your Canadian status on a separate list for appropriate review, and bring the two lists to the consultation without merging them.
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.