Read the general professional work overview
Hypothetical example: a Nashwaak agronomist working for a seed and crop-input dealer is offered a position with a U.S. agricultural retailer. The profession is listed and the degree is the right one, so the household assumes the file is straightforward. It is not, because the employer's letter promises a permanent career with an open-ended term, and this category admits people for temporary entry. One document has to satisfy both findings at once.
Say what the professional work is, in the profession's own terms
The agriculturist entry is satisfied by a baccalaureate or licenciatura degree, so the deciding document is the transcript rather than the job title: what the degree is actually in matters far more than what the employer chooses to call the role. Where the degree was earned outside Canada or the United States, add an evaluation and a certified English translation of the transcript, since a translator's certification of competence and accuracy is expected. Then have the letter describe agronomic work — soil and crop assessment, nutrient and crop-protection programs, trial design, written recommendations — rather than sales targets and territory management. A letter that reads as a sales role invites the conclusion that the position is not the listed profession, whatever the degree says.
Give the position a stated period and a reason for it
Temporary entry means entry without the intent to establish permanent residence, and the employer's letter is the main evidence of it. An open-ended offer, a reference to a career path, or language about a permanent position all cut against that finding. Ask the employer to state a specific period of employment and, where possible, the reason for it: a contract term, a defined project, a growing-season programme, a named assignment. Extensions are available where the work continues, so a stated period costs the employer nothing at all. The applicant's own circumstances matter too, and a household that has sold everything and given up its home leaves an officer with an obvious question to ask.
Keep ownership, self-employment and prior filings visible
Self-employment in the United States is not permitted in this category, and any ownership interest the applicant holds in the receiving employer must be disclosed rather than left to be discovered. Where the agronomist also runs a small consulting business at home, decide before departure what will happen to it and to any U.S. clients it has. If an immigrant petition has ever been filed for the applicant, that fact bears on the temporary-entry analysis and should be addressed openly. Carry proof of Canadian citizenship in the applicant's own name, since permanent residence in Canada supports nothing here, and bring the degree, transcript and evaluation together. Canadian citizens normally present the file at a Class A port of entry or designated pre-clearance location; alternatively, the U.S. employer may first file Form I-129. TD dependants can study but are not authorized to work.
What else is on your mind?
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?Can my spouse work if I hold TN status?Editorial source review: 2026-09-07. General preparation guidance, not an individual assessment.