The full form of NAFTA stands for North American Free Trade Agreement and is a trade agreement between Canada, United States and Mexico. This allows Canadian and Mexican citizens to work in the United States. The applicant must be classified as the NAFTA professional or an employee discharging services classified as professional.

Eligibility criterion in general for getting the TN Professional NAFTA Visa is as follows:

• The applicant must either be a citizen of Canada or Mexico.
• There is a job requirement for NAFTA professionals in US.
• Self employment is not applicable and the applicant has to necessarily work for the US employer.
• The applicant has to be on the list of NAFTA professionals.

Specific criterion for Mexican Citizens in order to get TN Professional NAFTA Visa:

Mexicans still require a visa to request admission to the United States only. All the prior requirements for petition approval and filing of labor certification application have been removed with effect from January 01, 2004 in order to simplify the whole process. Prior to the amendments made, the entry of Mexican professionals was restricted to a specific number only but this has also been removed since the rules were amended. The applicant needs to apply for the visa at the US Embassy and after getting approved the applicant needs to schedule an interview. The interview must be planned keeping in mind that the final interview date requires several weeks to finally get scheduled.

Specific criterion for Canadian Citizens in order to get TN Professional NAFTA Visa:

If the Canadian citizen is a recognized NAFTA professional than he do not need any visa though the spouse and the children of the applicant who are not Canadian citizens will require having a visa. A TD (dependency visa) visa is issued to the spouse and children of the NAFTA Professional in such a case.

A Canadian citizen can apply for the TN NAFTA Visa (or TN Status) at a U.S. Port of Entry with the following:

• Request for a TN Status admission to a U.S. Immigration Officer
• A TN NAFTA employment letter showing proof of professional employment
• Proof of professional qualifications (degree, transcripts, etc.)
• Proof of ability to meet applicable license requirements
• Proof of Canadian citizenship
• Fee of $50 USD

Additional Requirements for getting the TN Professional NAFTA Visa -

The following additional requirements are required by the applicants to fulfill in order to qualify:

1. Presentation of work experience is required to be submitted in the form of a letter by the prior employer. The work certificate or experience letter must provide exact information about the projects worked upon by the applicant in his prior job and the total duration for which he worked must also be stated.
2. Minimum education required to have by the applicant must be proved with the copy of score cards, mark sheets, diplomas, professional license or degree possessed by him. If the applicant has education outside the Canada, Mexico or US, then the all the degrees submitted will be evaluated on the credentials set forth.

The TN Professional NAFTA Visa is issued for a period of one year at a time which can be renewed for an indefinite number of times. However, the requirement of temporary stay must be proven each time the TN Visa is renewed.

For assistance with a TN Professional NAFTA Visa, please contact our immigration lawyers.