Read the general professional work overview
Hypothetical example: Jasmin is a Canadian citizen working as a medical laboratory technologist at a hospital laboratory that serves Essa, and a U.S. hospital has offered her a bench position. Medical Technologist is a USMCA Appendix 2 profession with its own rule — a baccalaureate degree, or a post-secondary diploma or certificate plus three years of experience — and the rest of her application consists of showing which branch she satisfies and proving the job is professional laboratory work. This guide sorts her documents by what each one proves and identifies the two that decide the outcome.
Decide which branch of the profession's rule you are relying on
The Medical Technologist entry offers two routes to the credential requirement: a baccalaureate degree, or a post-secondary diploma or certificate together with three years of experience. Jasmin holds a three-year college diploma in medical laboratory science and has worked for five years, so she relies on the second branch. That choice determines her documents. The diploma alone is insufficient under that branch; she must also prove three years of experience with employer letters stating her title, dates and duties. An applicant with a bachelor's degree in the field would instead rely on the degree and would not need experience letters, though a résumé still helps. Choosing the branch deliberately avoids arriving with a diploma and no experience proof.
The two decisive papers: the experience letters and the employer's support letter
Under the diploma-plus-experience branch, the experience letters do the heavy lifting. Each should be on the laboratory's letterhead, signed by a supervisor or human resources officer, and state Jasmin's exact title, start and end dates, whether the work was full-time, and a description of duties that reads as technologist work — running analysers, validating results, quality control, not clerical support. The second decisive paper is the U.S. hospital's support letter, which must state that the position is that of a medical technologist, describe the laboratory duties, give the duration up to three years and the salary, and confirm the credential the position requires. A letter that calls the job a laboratory assistant or omits the duties undermines an otherwise complete file.
Supporting papers, and the licensing question that TN does not answer
Around the two decisive documents sit the supporting ones: the diploma and transcript, proof of Canadian citizenship, a résumé, and any professional registration Jasmin holds, which helps though TN does not require Canadian registration for this profession. Originals or certified copies travel better than photocopies. A separate matter, not part of the TN test but essential to the job, is U.S. state licensure or certification for laboratory personnel, which varies by state; the hospital should confirm what it requires and by when. Jasmin should also remember the general TN conditions — no self-employment, prearranged employment with a U.S. employer, and admission at a port of entry or through a Form I-129 petition — and keep the whole file for renewals.
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.