Start with the TN eligibility and application overview
Identify the listed qualification precisely
Land Surveyor lists a baccalaureate or licenciatura degree, or a state, provincial or federal licence. Record the credential actually held, its issuer and current standing. Do not treat a technician’s training certificate as a surveying licence merely because the work occurs on a survey project.
Describe the applicant’s own professional work
Explain responsibility for measurements, analysis and professional conclusions, including the actual division of work with field crews. Check applicable practice requirements separately; the TN credential listing should not be represented as a blanket licence to perform every regulated act in the United States.
Establish citizenship and the arrangement
TN requires Canadian or Mexican citizenship, prearranged qualifying professional work and temporary entry. A U.S. or foreign employer may make the arrangement. Services to a U.S. entity solely owned or controlled by the applicant are prohibited TN self-employment; ownership of a foreign business alone is not an automatic exclusion. Degrees from institutions outside Canada, Mexico and the United States need reliable evaluation.
Document the employer relationship precisely
Every Appendix 2 profession carries its own qualification rule, and Graphic Designer offers two: a baccalaureate, or a post-secondary diploma together with three years of experience. Proof of Canadian citizenship, the degree parchment or an official transcript, and a letter from the U.S. company describing forestry work in the profession's own terms, the expected pattern of deployment, the period and the remuneration. Before choosing a procedure, isolate the proposed period of work, the named U.S. recipient, and the reason a listed profession rather than a sales title matches the deliverables. Read the appendix entry for the profession being claimed and note precisely what it accepts: some entries require a specific degree, others admit stated alternatives, and experience substitutes only where that entry says so. Compare the qualifications specified for that profession with the applicant's education, experience where the entry permits it, and any required professional authority. A Canadian professional normally seeks TN classification through border inspection or preclearance; in some cases the U.S. employer submits an I-129 petition to USCIS before the changed work begins. Choosing an inspection request or an employer petition does not repair a mismatch in profession, credentials, or the employer-directed relationship. If a qualification is an alternative rather than the usual degree, document the exact alternative rather than relying on a broad description of related experience.
Apply the listed profession's own credential rule
Engineering credentials are not interchangeable across disciplines or jurisdictions; a degree or licence recognized for one engineering category will not necessarily satisfy another. For a Canadian citizen, determine whether to apply for TN admission at a port of entry or have the US employer file Form I-129; Canadians generally do not need a TN visa stamp. An officer reads the offer letter to decide whether the position is professional employment in the listed occupation. A consulting offer that includes ongoing line-management duties, such as directly supervising staff or running day-to-day operations, raises a classification concern distinct from a typical advisory engagement. Ask whether an evaluation is needed after the profession and the institution’s authentic award records have been identified. A credential evaluation may become relevant only after the profession and degree requirement are settled; ordering it first can create an expense that does not answer the actual issue.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-08. This guide covers a preparation focus; it is not an individual eligibility assessment.