The TN program is the immigration component of The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which was negotiated for the purpose of facilitating the flow of goods and services between Canada, Mexico and the US. Individual workers in certain occupations are included in this agreement, which allows professionals to practice their disciplines in the other two countries.

The TN classification is essentially a modified version of the H-1 program that does away with (for Canadians) the complicated preliminaries of the H-1 for employees in occupations that were included in the Treaty. Employers seeking TN status for Mexican employees must still complete all the preliminary paperwork as for H status.

Not all occupations that are allowable under H1 status are allowable under TN status. It is recommended that departments considering TN status for an employee check the Schedule of Occupations to determine whether the occupation is allowable for TN status.

In addition, TN status is not "dual intent," and to be admitted as a TN employee, the applicant must be able to establish that s/he plans to return to the home country at some point in the future. While this obligation is somewhat at odds with the aspect of the Treaty that allows TN employees an indefinite number of extensions, immigration officers can be adamant about the "temporary" nature of TN employment. TN status is not compatible with tenure-track faculty appointments or plans to immigrate to the US (i.e., become a "permanent resident" and hold a "green card.")

Go to the Department of State website for more information on the TN program >>

Go to our TN Visa Process page for instructions on how to apply for TN status >>

Who Is Eligible For TN Status?

Any Stanford employee who is a Canadian or Mexican citizen, is currently or will prospectively be on the payroll, and who practices a discipline on the Schedule of Occupations may use the TN program. Stanford requires that TN workers, like H-1 and O-1 employees, be on payroll, meaning that no external/fellowship funding or stipends may be used to support TN postdocs.

A Note About Physicians

The Schedule includes "Physician" among the professions that may be admitted under the terms of the Agreement. However, they are limited to teaching and/or research. Unlike the H-1 visa, which allows for physicians to perform limited patient care in the context of teaching and research, no patient care whatsoever is permitted of physicians in TN status.. H-1 or O-1 status is indicated for physician-faculty/researchers who plan to engage in patient care activities of any kind.

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