Departments should notify OISSS as soon as they have selected a citizen of Canada or Mexico for professional employment, to determine whether the position and the employee qualifies for TN status.

1. The department manager contacts OISSS for an initial consultation. The department should provide a copy of the employee's offer letter and job description and the employee's CV. OISSS will review the information to determine if TN status is appropriate.
2. If it is determined that the TN is a viable option for the position and employee, the department prepares a TN support letter using a template provided by OISSS. Once drafted, the department may send the support letter to OISSS for a final review.
3. Once the letter is finalized, the TN professional takes the following steps to enter the U.S.:
   • Citizens of Canada request TN-1 status at a designated port of entry optimized for TN processing. They must present a valid and unexpired passport, their educational credential(s) such as diplomas or transcripts, their CV, the TN support letter, and their job offer or employment letter. They will also need to pay a TN fee of $50 and I-94 fee of $30 when requesting TN-1 status. (Note: while citizens of Canada are not required to have visas to enter the U.S., those citizens who live outside of Canada with non-Canadian spouses may be required to obtain a TN visa to allow their family to enter as TD dependents).
   • Citizens of Mexico must apply for a TN-2 visa at a US consulate in Mexico. They must complete a DS-160 visa application and submit supporting documentation, including their TN support letter, job offer letter, and educational credential(s). Upon receiving a visa, they are eligible to travel to the U.S. and request TN status at a U.S. port of entry.
4. The TN professional enters the U.S.
5. The TN professional checks in with OISSS to confirm that their I-94 was processed correctly.

After arriving in the U.S. in TN status, the TN professional must take the following steps to maintain valid immigration status.

• Engage only in the business activities discussed in the TN support letter from your Brown University department
• Download and print out your I-94 admission record after every entry into the U.S. to verify that your class of admission is correct (TN-1, TN-2, etc.) and your “admit until date” is into the future - contact OISSS if your I-94 information is incorrect or is due to expire
• Update your U.S. residential address within 10 days of any move, by completing USCIS Form AR-11 (paper or online version)
• Take steps to depart the U.S. or extend your stay before the expiration of your current TN status.

TN professionals may be accompanied by their legal spouse and/or unmarried children under 21. Dependents of TN professionals are granted TD status.

• TD dependents are allowed to study but may not work while in the U.S. If the dependent is interested in U.S. based employment, they must acquire an independent status (e.g., F-1 student, H-1B employee, their own TN status) that permits employment.
• TD dependents lose status if the TN professional ends or terminates their status for any reason.
• TD dependents of TN-1 Canadian citizens do not need to apply for a visa if they are also citizens of Canada. However, if a TN-1 citizen of Canada is living outside of Canada with non-Canadian dependents, both the employee and the dependents may need to apply for visas to enter the U.S. in TN and TD status, respectively.