Read the general professional work overview
Magog applicants should resolve material differences between French and English records before relying on them as one agreed engagement. After a refusal, the applicant must decide whether to return to the port of entry with a corrected file or to have the employer file an I-129 so that the corrected evidence is reviewed on paper first. The choice depends on what was wrong: a wording defect can be fixed at the border, a substantive doubt is better answered in a petition.
Identify the agreed duties
State the actual employer, responsibilities, remuneration and duration. A translated title should not introduce work the employer never proposed.
Apply the actual profession’s requirements
TN requires Canadian or Mexican citizenship, a listed USMCA profession and its particular qualifications. Language consistency does not itself establish professional eligibility.
Complete the relationship and procedure
Sole or controlling ownership of the US enterprise receiving services raises prohibited self-employment. Canadians generally may seek visa-exempt TN admission; Mexicans generally need a visa, with petitions where appropriate. Use accurate corrected terms rather than the most favourable wording.
Describe the accountant’s work, not the controller’s title
Hypothetical example: a chartered professional accountant at a Magog metal-parts manufacturer is offered the position of controller at the company’s U.S. affiliate in Vermont. The first attempt at the port of entry is refused because the letter, translated hastily from the French original, describes “oversight of the finance function and staff supervision” and never states what accounting work she will perform. Controller is not a listed profession; Accountant is, and it is satisfied by a bachelor’s degree or a CPA, CA, CGA or CMA designation. The corrected letter describes the preparation of financial statements, cost accounting for production runs, tax filings and audit coordination, then notes that she also supervises two clerks. It attaches her Québec CPA certificate. Because she holds a 5% interest through the group’s employee share plan, the letter discloses it and explains that she neither controls the U.S. affiliate nor is self-employed by it; a minority plan holding is not the controlling ownership that bars TN.
Choose the channel that fits the defect
A refusal for an unclear letter is a wording defect; once the French and English versions agree and the accounting duties are explicit, a fresh port-of-entry request is reasonable, and she should bring the original French letter alongside the corrected English one so the two are visibly consistent. If the officer instead doubted the ownership question, the employer may prefer an I-129 petition, where the share-plan documents and a corporate chart can be read at leisure and an approval notice travels with her. Either channel requires the same facts: Canadian citizenship, a listed profession, its credential, a temporary prearranged engagement and no controlling ownership of the U.S. employer. A Mexican colleague would apply for a visa at a consulate rather than at the border.
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.