IN THIS GUIDE · Keeping duties and dates accurate when a TN professional stays to train a replacement, and reviewing whether an extension is required
Start with the TN eligibility and application overview
Describe the handover as actual duties
Write down what the person will do during the handover rather than labelling the period as training. If the work remains the professional practice the case was built on, with knowledge transfer as part of it, that is one situation. If the role becomes general orientation, scheduling, or supervision that sits outside the listed profession, the description changes and the case needs review before the extra weeks are agreed. Request an ordinary handover-week description identifying professional judgment, output, and supervision. It shows whether knowledge transfer remains part of the professional role or has become a different operational assignment.
Read the admission record before anything else
Review the latest I-94 together with any USCIS approval notice and attached I-94 issued after the last entry. A later agency action can change the applicable dates, so do not rely only on the original entry record. Ask counsel to reconcile the documents and distinguish the authorized stay from the period and conditions of permitted employment. Create a timeline of entry, agency action, requested end date, and last planned workday. The record establishing each event is more reliable than an assumption drawn from the original entry date.
Treat an extension as its own decision
Continuing past the authorized period requires a step, and which one depends on citizenship and where the person is at the time. Canadian citizens are generally visa exempt for TN admission; Mexican citizens generally need a visa, and current location and status shape the route. There is no blanket rule authorizing work simply because a request has been filed, so counsel should confirm what is permitted while anything is pending. A filing alone does not permit continuing work. Decide the schedule only after identifying current location, citizenship, authorization, and the particular action the employer is considering.
Match the paperwork to the real plan
If the end date is moving, the employer's support letter should state the revised period and the duties for it, rather than leaving the original dates in place. Keep the return travel, any lease end, and the successor's start date consistent with what the documents say. An informal extension of a few weeks that nothing on paper reflects is difficult to explain afterwards. Either select a last day clearly covered by current authorization or allow enough time for the applicable step. Payroll, a successor delay, or a calendar invitation cannot alter an immigration condition.
Keep translation separate from credential evaluation
Canadian permanent residence is not enough, and experience does not universally replace the prescribed education. A Canadian, Mexican or U.S. degree is supported by the diploma and transcript; a degree from elsewhere needs a reliable credential evaluation under the regulation.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-07. This guide covers a preparation focus; it is not an individual eligibility assessment.