Read the general professional work overview
Hypothetical example: Ruth writes service manuals and operator bulletins for a Lethbridge County farm-equipment dealer and has been offered a documentation post with a U.S. manufacturer. Technical Publications Writer is a listed USMCA profession, but it has two qualification branches: a baccalaureate degree, or a post-secondary diploma or certificate plus three years' experience. Ruth has a two-year diploma, so her file must prove the experience branch with dated evidence, not a résumé, and must show the U.S. work is technical writing rather than marketing.
Identify which branch you are relying on, then document only that one
The USMCA list sets out for Technical Publications Writer a baccalaureate or licenciatura degree, or a post-secondary diploma or post-secondary certificate together with three years' experience. Ruth cannot claim the degree branch, so her packet should say plainly that she relies on the diploma-plus-experience branch and prove both halves. The diploma half is the credential itself and a transcript. The experience half is not a self-written summary; it is a letter from the dealer on letterhead stating her start date, her title, the manuals and bulletins she produced, and confirming three years of full-time technical writing, backed by samples with dates and, where possible, earlier employment letters if the three years span two employers. An officer reads a claim of experience against dated proof, so the dates must be there.
Make the U.S. employer's letter describe technical writing, not communications
Titles drift. A manufacturer may call the post documentation specialist or content lead, and the duties may include product marketing copy. The profession is technical publications writing, and the letter should describe the work in those terms: preparing service manuals, parts catalogues, operator instructions and safety bulletins from engineering sources. Marketing copy, social media and sales collateral are not the listed profession, and a letter in which they dominate invites refusal. Ask the employer to state the profession by name, the technical nature of the publications, the period of employment, the salary and Ruth's status as an employee. If the manufacturer intends to place her with a documentation contractor, the employment structure must be clarified, because self-employment is not permitted under TN.
Assemble the packet for a port-of-entry application and know its limits
As a Canadian citizen Ruth applies at a port of entry or preclearance with her passport, the employer letter, the diploma and transcript, the experience letter and work samples; no visa stamp is needed and no advance petition is required, although the employer may file Form I-129 if it prefers a decision before travel. The admission is for up to three years and may be renewed; it is not a route to permanent residence. Her husband, if he accompanies her, holds TD status, which permits study but not employment, and any plan for him to work in the United States needs its own answer. Ownership of shares in the U.S. employer, or side contracts to keep writing for the Alberta dealer from the United States, must be disclosed and assessed rather than assumed harmless.
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.