NAFTA Professional (TN Visa)

NAFTA Professional Work Permits

NAFTA Professional Work Permits are an option for business persons from the U.S. or Mexico, who enter Canada to provide pre-arranged professional services to a Canadian enterprise. More than 60 different professional occupations are eligible to qualify under the NAFTA professional designation (see list below). Professionals requesting entry to Canada via this Canada work permit must demonstrate they are qualified to work in their profession, and must only perform work related to their profession while in Canada. Proof of credentials and/or work experience is required.

One of the benefits of applying for a NAFTA Professional work permit is that applicants are exempt from the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) requirement. Further, professionals who are destined to work in Quebec are also exempt from the Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ) requirement. NAFTA Professional work permits are only for individuals entering the Canadian labour market temporarily, and their work permits cannot be longer than 3 years in duration.

Qualifying professionals may apply for a NAFTA Professional work permit at a Canadian visa office before entering Canada, however, they may also apply at a Canadian port-of-entry (POE) in certain instances. NAFTA Professional applicants must be prepared to provide all required documentation when applying at a Canadian border. Other conditions apply.

Although their application requirements and process may slightly differ, the U.S. and Mexico offer the same professional work permits for Canadians who want to temporarily enter their labour market.

Contact a Canadian immigration lawyer at our firm to assist you with your NAFTA Professional work permit application.

NAFTA Professional Work Permits can be issued for the following professions:

General

• Accountant

• Architect

• Computer Systems Analyst

• Disaster relief Insurance Claims Adjuster

• Economist

• Engineer

• Forester

• Graphic Designer

• Hotel Manager

• Industrial Designer

• Interior Designer

• Land Surveyor

• Landscape Architect

• Lawyer (including Notary in the Province of Quebec)

• Librarian

• Management Consultant

• Mathematician (including Statistician)

• Range Manager/ Range Conservationist

• Research Assistant (working in a post-secondary educational institution)

Scientific

• Technician/Technologist

• Social Worker

• Sylviculturist (including Forestry Specialist)

• Technical Publications Writer

• Urban Planner (including Geographer)

• Vocational Counselor

Medical/Allied Professional

• Dentist

• Dietitian

• Medical Laboratory Technologist (Canada)

• Medical Technologist (Mexico and the United States)

• Nutritionist

• Occupational Therapist

• Pharmacist

• Physician (teaching or research only)

• Physiotherapist/Physical Therapist

• Psychologist

• Recreational Therapist

• Registered Nurse

• Veterinarian

Scientists

• Agriculturist (including Agronomist)

• Animal Breeder

• Animal Scientist

• Apiculturist

• Astronomer

• Biochemist

• Biologist

• Chemist

• Dairy Scientist

• Entomologist

• Epidemiologist

• Geneticist

• Geologist

• Geochemist

• Geophysicist (including Oceanographer in Mexico and the United States)

• Horticulturist

• Meteorologist

• Pharmacologist

• Physicist (including Oceanographer in Canada)

• Plant Breeder

• Poultry Scientist

• Soil Scientist

• Zoologist

Teachers

• College

• Seminary

• University

To find out if you or your business is eligible for this program, please contact us.