IN THIS GUIDE · Getting an employer to write a letter that answers the questions being asked
Start with the TN eligibility and application overview
Name the profession as the list names it
The letter should use the term that appears in the appendix rather than an internal designation such as herd health lead or production veterinarian. That is not pedantry: a reader is matching the described work against a list, and a title that is not on it makes the reader do extra work with a document that could have made it obvious. Ask the employer to state the profession, then to describe the duties that make it that profession.
Describe duties in enough detail to be recognisable
Diagnosis, treatment protocols, prescribing, herd health programme design, disease surveillance and supervision of technicians are veterinary duties, and they should be listed. A letter that says the veterinarian will support operations tells nobody anything. Where the role includes work that is not veterinary practice — procurement, contract administration, staff scheduling — say so and describe the proportion, because it is better to explain a mixed role than to have it discovered.
State the term, the salary, the location and the supervisor
The employment must be prearranged, and the letter should show it concretely: the start date, how long the work is expected to last, the compensation, where the work will be performed and who the veterinarian reports to. Where the role covers several sites in different states, list them, because a role spread across locations raises questions about licensing and about who the employer actually is. Vagueness in this paragraph produces exactly the questions it was meant to avoid.
Handle licensure and any ownership question directly
The Appendix 2 qualification rule accepts D.V.M., D.M.V. or Doctor en Veterinaria, or a state or provincial licence. A destination-state licence is a separate practice requirement and is not itself required for TN classification, but it must be obtained before practising where state law requires it; establish that process before agreeing to a start date. Separately, if the group has offered the veterinarian a partnership interest, disclose it and examine it, because this category does not permit U.S. self-employment and an ownership stake changes the analysis of who is employing whom.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-07. This guide covers a preparation focus; it is not an individual eligibility assessment.