TN Visa Categories: Complete List of the 63 TN Professions

Reviewed by: Beth Persky, Esq.

There are 63 TN visa categories. They are the professions listed in Appendix 1603.D.1 of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and reproduced in 8 CFR 214.6(c), and the list is closed: a Canadian or Mexican citizen can hold TN status only to perform prearranged professional work in the United States in one of these 63 professions, and only with the degree, license, or other credential the list sets for that profession. The professions fall into four groups: 25 general occupations, 12 medical and allied health occupations, 23 scientists, and 3 teachers.

This post lists every TN category with its minimum credential, explains how officers decide whether a job fits a category, summarizes the USCIS Policy Manual guidance on disputed professions (published June 4, 2025, and still the controlling USCIS guidance as of October 7, 2026), explains what the July 1, 2026 USMCA joint review did and did not change, and covers what to do if your job is not on the list.

What Are the TN Visa Categories?

The TN categories are a closed list of professions. The USMCA replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) on July 1, 2020 and carried the same professions forward, so the list is the one many people still call the NAFTA list. If a profession is not on it, TN status is not available for that job, even when the work is professional and even when the worker holds an advanced degree.

Each profession comes with a minimum credential. For most of the list, that is a Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree. Some professions also accept a license, or a post-secondary diploma or certificate plus three years of experience. The tables below show the credential next to each profession, taken from 8 CFR 214.6(c).

Who Can Use a TN Visa Category?

To work in the United States under a TN category, you generally must (8 CFR 214.6; USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 2, Part P):

• Be a citizen of Canada or Mexico. Permanent residence in Canada or Mexico is not enough.
• Have prearranged full-time or part-time professional work for a U.S. entity. You may be employed directly by a U.S. employer, or by a foreign employer that has a contract to provide your services to a U.S. entity. Self-employment does not qualify. Where you hold an ownership interest in the entity you will work for, USCIS examines whether a genuine employer-employee relationship exists rather than self-employment, and the Policy Manual addresses controlling interests in that analysis.
• Work in a listed profession, in a position that actually requires a professional in that field.
• Hold the credential the list sets for that profession.
• Seek temporary entry, meaning you intend to depart when the authorized stay ends. The TN regulation has no dual-intent provision, so officers may ask about pending permanent residence steps when you apply or re-enter.

TN-1 is the term often used for Canadian citizens and TN-2 for Mexican citizens. The categories, the credentials, and the work allowed are the same for both. The difference is the application process, covered below.

 General TN Occupations

There are 25 general occupations. Where a license is listed, it is an alternative to the degree, but you must still meet any licensing rules in the U.S. state where you will work if the duties require a license there.

Medical and Allied Health TN Occupations

There are 12 medical and allied health professions. Several have extra limits on the work allowed, noted in the table.

Separately, federal law (INA 212(a)(5)(C) and 8 CFR 212.15) requires a health care worker certificate before admission for seven occupations: nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists and audiologists, medical technologists (clinical laboratory scientists), medical technicians (clinical laboratory technicians), and physician assistants. Of these, registered nurse, physical therapist, occupational therapist, and medical laboratory technologist or medical technologist are TN categories. The certificate (for example, a VisaScreen certificate, or for nurses a certified statement issued under 8 CFR 212.15) is required in addition to the TN credential and any state license.

Scientist TN Occupations

There are 23 scientist professions. The credential listed in 8 CFR 214.6(c) for each is a Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree. The regulation does not add the words in the field, but officers consider whether the degree relates to the profession when deciding whether you qualify.

1. Agriculturist (including Agronomist)
2. Animal Breeder
3. Animal Scientist
4. Apiculturist
5. Astronomer
6. Biochemist
7. Biologist (including Plant Pathologist)
8. Chemist
9. Dairy Scientist
10. Entomologist
11. Epidemiologist
12. Geneticist
13. Geochemist
14. Geologist
15. Geophysicist (including Oceanographer in Mexico and the U.S.)
16. Horticulturist
17. Meteorologist
18. Pharmacologist
19. Physicist (including Oceanographer in Canada)
20. Plant Breeder
21. Poultry Scientist
22. Soil Scientist
23. Zoologist

Teacher TN Occupations

There are three teacher professions, each requiring a Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree:

1. College Teacher
2. Seminary Teacher
3. University Teacher

The list does not include elementary, middle, or high school teachers. Teaching at those levels needs a different classification.

What Credentials Do the TN Categories Require?

The credential for each category is a minimum, and USCIS and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) apply it as written at 8 CFR 214.6(c).

• Experience does not replace a required degree. If a profession lists only a degree, years of work cannot substitute for it. Experience counts only where the list names it as an alternative or an addition.
• The degree should match the profession. The Policy Manual states that an engineer needs a degree in the related engineering field, and the regulation requires a hotel manager’s degree to be in hotel or restaurant management. For other categories, officers look at whether the degree field is related to the profession.
• Foreign degrees need an evaluation. Under 8 CFR 214.6(c), a degree, diploma, or certificate from outside the United States, Canada, or Mexico must come with an evaluation from a reliable credentials evaluation service that specializes in such evaluations.
• Experience is shown by employer letters. The regulation calls for evidence of experience in the form of letters from former employers, or business records if you were self-employed. Letters that state the dates of employment and the duties performed give the officer what is needed to compare the experience to the category. Where a license is the credential, bring the license itself.
• Licenses must meet U.S. state rules. You must meet the licensing requirements of the state where you will practice, if the duties require a license there. A Canadian or Mexican license satisfies the TN credential but does not by itself authorize practice in a U.S. state.
• A post-secondary diploma or certificate means, under the footnote to 8 CFR 214.6(c), a credential issued on completion of two or more years of post-secondary education at an accredited academic institution in Canada or the United States, or, for Mexico, by the federal or state government, by an academic institution recognized by the federal or state government, or by an academic institution created by federal or state law.

Whether a three-year bachelor’s degree is accepted as the required Baccalaureate degree depends on whether the evidence shows that the credential is that degree, as the profession’s listed credential requires. A credentials evaluation is one useful piece of evidence on that question, but obtaining an evaluation does not by itself convert a credential into the required degree, and the regulation has no general rule that lets education and experience combine to equal a degree for TN purposes. An attorney should review the credential and any evaluation before you rely on them.

Which TN professions do not require a bachelor’s degree?

The Department of State’s Foreign Affairs Manual (9 FAM 402.17) states that, with certain exceptions, each TN profession requires a bachelor’s degree as the entry-level credential, and that experience cannot substitute for a required degree. The exceptions are written into the list itself:

1. Professions that accept a post-secondary diploma or certificate plus three years of experience (Computer Systems Analyst, Graphic Designer, Hotel Manager, Industrial Designer, Interior Designer, Technical Publications Writer, and Medical Laboratory Technologist/Medical Technologist).
2. Management Consultant, which accepts five years of qualifying experience in place of a degree.
3. Disaster Relief Insurance Claims Adjuster, which accepts three years of experience plus training.
4. Scientific Technician/Technologist, which has no degree requirement at all.
5. Professions that accept a state or provincial license as an alternative.

How Do Officers Decide Whether a Job Fits a TN Category?

Officers look at the primary activity of the job, not its title. On June 4, 2025, USCIS added Part P (USMCA Professionals (TN)) to Volume 2 of its Policy Manual. The guidance took effect immediately for petitions and applications filed with USCIS on or after that date, superseded the older Adjudicator’s Field Manual chapter on TN, and remains the controlling USCIS internal guidance as of October 7, 2026. Policy guidance does not create enforceable rights and leaves officers room for judgment on the facts. CBP officers at ports of entry apply 8 CFR 214.6 and CBP’s own guidance; the Policy Manual governs USCIS adjudications, not CBP inspections, so border outcomes can differ from USCIS decisions on the same facts. These are the categories for which the Policy Manual gives occupation-specific guidance.

Engineers

An engineer needs a degree in the related engineering field or a state or provincial license. The Policy Manual states that officers may consult Department of Labor publications, such as the Occupational Outlook Handbook, to identify suitable degree fields. An engineer may not fill a computer-related job unless the person holds credentials as a computer or software engineer and the position is in a bona fide engineering specialty.

Computer Systems Analysts

A systems analyst studies how data processing can meet an organization’s needs and designs and implements computer-based systems. The category does not include programmers. A systems analyst may do some programming, but programming cannot be the primary activity. A software developer role whose main work is writing code does not fit this category.

Economists

The economist category covers economic research, analysis, and forecasting. The Policy Manual states that it does not include positions whose duties are primarily those of other occupations, such as financial analysts, market research analysts, and marketing specialists.

Management Consultants

A management consultant improves the managerial, operating, or economic performance of an organization. A consultant may be a salaried employee of the U.S. company only in an irregular or non-routine temporary position, unless the employer is a U.S. management consulting firm.

Scientific Technicians and Technologists

A scientific technician or technologist must work in direct support of a supervising professional in agricultural sciences, astronomy, biology, chemistry, engineering, forestry, geology, geophysics, meteorology, or physics. A degree is not required, but the Policy Manual describes the expected background as about two years of training in a relevant educational program or extensive related experience. The guidance states that individuals providing patient care, including those supporting a physician, do not qualify in this category.

Registered Nurses and Physicians

A registered nurse must satisfy three separate requirements. First, the TN credential: a state or provincial license or a Licenciatura degree. Second, state licensing: the nurse must meet the licensing or authorization rules of the state of employment to the extent the duties require a license there. Third, the health care worker certification under 8 CFR 212.15, which for nurses may be a certificate or a certified statement from an approved organization and must be presented at admission or when seeking a change or extension of status. A physician may enter only for teaching or research; patient care must be incidental to that work. A physician who will primarily treat patients needs a different classification, such as the H-1B or J-1.

What If Your Job Is Not on the TN List?

If your job does not fit any TN category, TN status is not available for it. Other options may fit instead, depending on your situation:

• H-1B for specialty occupations that require at least a bachelor’s degree in a specific field, subject to the annual cap and registration lottery for most employers (institutions of higher education, related nonprofits, and nonprofit or government research organizations are cap-exempt). 
• L-1 for managers, executives, and specialized knowledge employees who worked at least one continuous year in the past three for a related company abroad.
• E-1 for Canadian and Mexican citizens who will carry on substantial trade, principally between the United States and their country of citizenship, as the trader or as a qualifying executive, supervisory, or essential-skills employee of a company with that nationality. Canada and Mexico are treaty countries for E-1 and E-2 purposes.
• E-2 for Canadian and Mexican citizens who have invested, or are actively investing, a substantial amount in a bona fide U.S. enterprise and will develop and direct it, or who qualify as an executive, supervisory, or essential-skills employee of such an enterprise. Because TN does not allow self-employment, business owners often look here.
• O-1 for people with extraordinary ability in their field.

A job filed under a TN category it does not fit can be refused at the border or denied by USCIS. Later applications and visa forms may ask about prior refusals, and you should be prepared to disclose and address a refusal if asked.

How Do You Apply Under a TN Category?

The process depends on your citizenship.

If you are already in the United States in another valid status, your employer can ask USCIS to change your status to TN on Form I-129, and premium processing (Form I-907, fee of $2,965) is available for TN petitions. USCIS processing times vary and change; check the live USCIS processing times page for Form I-129 before relying on any estimate.

TN status is granted for up to three years at a time, with no fixed overall limit as long as each stay remains temporary. An extension is requested either by departing and reapplying at the border (Canadians, or Mexicans with a valid TN visa) or by the employer filing Form I-129 with USCIS. The USCIS filing should be made before the date on your current Form I-94 expires, so calendar the I-94 date rather than the visa expiration date. Two further rules apply:

• Continued work during a timely same-employer extension. If the same employer files the extension before your I-94 expires, you may keep working for that employer for up to 240 days after the I-94 expiration date while USCIS decides the request, or until USCIS denies it, whichever comes first (8 CFR 274a.12(b)(20)). This rule does not cover a new employer.
• Late filings. If the extension is filed after the I-94 expires, USCIS may excuse the delay only when the conditions in 8 CFR 214.1(c)(4) are met: the delay was due to extraordinary circumstances beyond your control, the length of the delay was reasonable, you have not otherwise violated your status, you remain a bona fide nonimmigrant, and you are not in removal proceedings. Absent that excuse, you are out of status after the I-94 date and employment is not authorized while the late request is pending.

For extensions, see our post on TN visa renewal.

A spouse and unmarried children under 21 may apply for TD status to accompany or join you. TD dependents may study but may not work in the United States.

Did the 2026 USMCA Review Change the TN Categories?

No. Article 34.7 of the USMCA required the three countries’ Free Trade Commission to meet on July 1, 2026, the sixth anniversary of the agreement, to conduct a joint review. At that meeting the United States did not agree to extend the agreement for a new 16-year term. Under Articles 34.7.4 through 34.7.6, the Commission will now meet for a joint review every year until each country confirms it wishes to extend the term or the agreement expires on July 1, 2036, whichever comes first. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has opened the public consultation process for the 2027 annual joint review, as reported in a Federal Register notice available as of October 7, 2026.

The July 2026 review did not change the TN categories, the credentials, the application process, or 8 CFR 214.6. TN status remains available on the same terms. The annual reviews matter for TN workers because the professional-worker chapter could be amended through them, and because the agreement expires on July 1, 2036 if no extension is confirmed. Any change to TN eligibility would take effect only through the treaty process and implementing changes to U.S. law or regulation, so there is no change to plan around today.

Frequently Asked Questions

• How many TN visa categories are there?

  There are 63 TN professions, grouped into general occupations (25), medical and allied health (12), scientists (23), and teachers (3).

• Is software developer a TN category?

  No. Software developer is not on the list. A computer systems analyst may do some programming as part of a larger analysis role, and an engineer in a computer-related job needs bona fide engineering credentials as a computer or software engineer.

• Can experience replace a degree for a TN category?

  Only where the list allows it, such as computer systems analyst, graphic designer, or management consultant. If a profession lists only a degree, experience cannot replace it.

• Is a high school teacher a TN category?

  No. The teacher categories are limited to college, seminary, and university teachers.

• Can a nurse get a TN visa?

  Yes. A registered nurse with a state or provincial license or a Licenciatura degree can qualify. The nurse must also meet the licensing rules of the state of employment where the duties require it, and must present a health care worker certificate or certified statement under 8 CFR 212.15 to be admitted.

• Can a physician get a TN visa?

  Only for teaching or research. Patient care must be incidental to that work.

• Can a data scientist or data analyst use a TN category?

  There is no data scientist category. Depending on the actual duties and the degree, a position may fit mathematician (including statistician), computer systems analyst, or economist, but the Policy Manual excludes jobs whose primary activity is financial analysis or market research from the economist category. The duties, not the title, decide.

• Can I work for two employers on one TN?

  No. TN status is employer-specific. A second concurrent employer needs its own TN admission at the port of entry or its own approved Form I-129 from USCIS before you begin that work (8 CFR 214.6(i)).

• Does a TN refusal at the border affect future applications?

  It can. Later TN applications and visa forms may ask about prior refusals, and you should be prepared to disclose and explain a refusal if asked. You may reapply, but you should first address the reason for the refusal, for example with a revised support letter or a credentials evaluation.

• Do Canadians and Mexicans use the same TN categories?

  Yes. The professions and credentials are the same. The application process differs: Canadians generally apply at the port of entry or through USCIS, while Mexican citizens need a TN visa from a U.S. consulate before seeking admission.

• Can I be self-employed under a TN category?

  No. Self-employment is excluded from TN. If you hold an ownership interest in the entity you will work for, USCIS looks at whether a genuine employer-employee relationship exists; where it does not, the work is treated as self-employment. Investors and traders may look at the E-1 or E-2 classification instead.

• Did the TN categories change in 2026?

  No. The July 1, 2026 USMCA joint review did not change the TN professions or the credentials. The agreement now undergoes annual joint reviews.

• Is there a quota for TN visas?

  No. INA 214(e) authorized a numerical limit for Mexican citizens during a transition period, but that limit expired. There is no annual cap today for either country.

• Can a TN worker apply for a green card?

  TN status is not itself a path to permanent residence; a separate immigrant petition and either Adjustment of Status (Form I-485) or consular processing would be required. Under 8 CFR 214.6(b), the TN entry must be temporary, without intent to establish permanent residence. The FAM states that an intent to immigrate in the future that is unconnected to the immediate trip does not by itself require refusal, but a pending immigrant case can be considered when an officer evaluates whether the current entry is temporary. Get advice before starting that process while holding TN status.

• Do TD dependents get work authorization?

  No. Under 8 CFR 214.6(j), the spouse and unmarried minor children in TD status may not accept employment in the United States unless otherwise authorized under the Act.