Read the general professional work overview
For a Strait Shores applicant offered both professional and routine tasks, prepare a duty record that the employer can confirm. The objective is to assess the real position, not produce a shorter description that leaves inconvenient work unassigned.
Describe the work in observable terms
List the main deliverables, who requests them and what the applicant must do to produce them. Identify recurring operating or administrative responsibilities as well as professional work. Do not invent percentages where no reliable basis exists. TN needs a Canadian or Mexican citizen performing prearranged activity in a listed USMCA profession with that profession’s qualifications; a persuasive title cannot make the actual duties disappear.
Connect the duty record with the employment arrangement
Ask the employer to confirm remuneration, intended duration and who receives the services. Explain ownership accurately: services to a U.S. enterprise solely owned or controlled by the applicant constitute prohibited TN self-employment. An external supervisor does not remove that ownership issue, while a foreign business interest alone is not a blanket bar. Resolve discrepancies between the offer and the actual work before treating either document as final.
Document a real redesign of the role if one occurs
If the employer genuinely removes tasks, record when the change takes effect and who will perform those tasks instead. Preserve the earlier version as history rather than presenting the revision as if it had always been the arrangement. The updated proposal still needs the applicable visa or admission process and temporary entry; changing words in a letter does not itself authorize U.S. 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.