The TN Visa
By Melissa N. Salvador
July 05, 2017
U.S. Work Authorization for Canadian and Mexican Nationals Remains in Tact
Every day, an exponential amount of trade is conducted between the borders of Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. For this reason, the non-immigrant TN classification, which stands for“Trade NAFTA,” was created by the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA” or “Agreement”) to facilitate the movement of services and ease the path toward a visa for professional workers from the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Canadian and Mexican nationals providing services in one of the 63 enumerated professional occupations under the Agreement may be granted work authorization and permitted entry into the United States, typically for a period of three (3) years. The length of time the work authorization is valid for depends on whether the worker is a Canadian or Mexican citizen; the same is also true for the application process.
While the Trump administration has talked about opening and renegotiating the Agreement, the ability to obtain work authorization under TN status has remained unchanged.
