IN THIS GUIDE · An offer letter that describes the position as permanent
Start with the TN eligibility and application overview
Temporary entry is part of the category, not a formality
The professional route is a nonimmigrant one, granted for a defined period and renewable, and it contemplates a stay with an end to it rather than an indefinite relocation. A letter announcing a permanent appointment says, in the plainest terms, the opposite of what the category assumes. That does not mean the job must be short or precarious; it means the letter should describe the period the employer is engaging her for. Employers who have never written one of these letters routinely reach for the language they use in domestic hiring, and the fix is a conversation rather than a confrontation. A useful first review produces a short assignment map: employer, profession, duties, start point, intended period, remuneration, and the record that confirms each item. That map exposes a letter that merely labels a job without actually describing the proposed professional work.
Describe the assignment period accurately, without inventing one
The answer is not to insert a false end date. It is for the employer to state the period for which the position is being offered and to describe the work in terms of that period, which most businesses can do honestly because their own planning horizons are finite. Where the employer genuinely intends an indefinite appointment, that intention is worth examining with counsel, since it may point toward a different route entirely rather than toward better wording. Either way the conversation belongs before the letter is issued. The decision is not whether the employer can promise a lifetime career, but whether the current engagement can be described truthfully as temporary. Forecasts, project schedules, annual budgets, and a fixed client engagement can explain the period without manufacturing a story.
The hotel manager profession has its own credential rule
Each listed profession carries its own requirement, and hotel management is one of the categories that can be satisfied either by a degree in hotel or restaurant management or by a post-secondary diploma or certificate in the field together with three years of experience in hotel or restaurant management. Ilse should establish which branch she is relying on before anything is drafted, because the documents differ. If the experience branch applies, the employment history evidencing those years has to be assembled and has to actually describe management work in the field. Match the professional category before collecting credentials. A transcript, a diploma, a licence, and experience letters answer different questions; collecting documents first often leaves the decisive qualification unproved.
The rest of the conditions apply regardless of the letter
Citizenship of Canada or Mexico must be evidenced, and permanent residence is not a substitute. The position must be a USMCA-listed profession and the applicant must meet that profession's own qualification rule. The employment must be prearranged with a U.S. employer, and self-employment in the United States is not permitted, so an arrangement structured as consulting to a hotel group raises a separate problem. Any ownership interest in the businesses involved must be disclosed. A Canadian citizen may request TN at a port of entry or through an employer-filed Form I-129 and does not need a TN visa stamp. Dependants in TD status may study but may not work. Check the commercial structure early. A payroll relationship with an independent American employer is materially different from an arrangement in which the individual directs the recipient enterprise, even when the written duties look similar.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-07. This guide covers a preparation focus; it is not an individual eligibility assessment.