Read the general professional work overview
Hypothetical example: a systems analyst working for a Regina employer and living in White City has a two-year college diploma and six years of experience, and a U.S. software firm wants her on TN. The listing for Computer Systems Analyst allows either a bachelor's degree or a post-secondary diploma or certificate plus three years' experience. The file has to prove the second route with documents, because an officer who sees no degree and no experience evidence will refuse. This guide sets out what to gather and how the letter should read. Hypothetical example: An airport-baggage systems analyst has the same diploma route but has worked for several employers. She must choose records that prove three full years of analytic duties, rather than merely listing software titles on a résumé.
Which qualification rule the letter invokes
Appendix 2 lists more than one route for a few professions, and Computer Systems Analyst is one of them: a baccalaureate or licenciatura degree, or a post-secondary diploma or post-secondary certificate together with three years of experience. The employer letter must say which one is relied on. A letter that cites a degree the applicant does not hold is refused; one that cites the diploma-plus-experience route but attaches only the diploma invites the same result. Name the diploma, the institution and the completion date, then set out the experience in the same paragraph. Do not leave the officer to infer the route from a résumé. The first review should identify one qualification route and label every supporting record to that route. The diploma, transcript and experience letters must tell the same chronological story, because a résumé cannot fill a missing credential requirement.
Documenting three years of experience
Experience letters must come from employers, on letterhead, signed by someone with authority, stating dates, position and duties in enough detail to show the work was systems analysis rather than help-desk or general IT support. Payroll records or records of employment can corroborate dates if a former employer is uncooperative or defunct. The three years must be in the profession, so an applicant whose first two years were desktop support should describe those honestly and count only the analytic work. Six years of experience gives room; use the strongest three-year span and still attach the rest. Have the letters written before the U.S. offer is final, since former employers can be slow. Hypothetical example: A transit-ticketing systems analyst has a former employer whose payroll archive gives dates but not duties. Obtain the payroll confirmation for dates and a separately signed technical reference for duties; together they settle the issue better than either record alone. If the signer lacks first-hand knowledge, explain that limitation instead of presenting the letter as conclusive.
The rest of the file and the border
Add proof of Canadian citizenship, the diploma and transcript as issued, and any name-change record if the diploma predates a marriage. The U.S. letter must describe a prearranged, temporary professional position with duties that match systems analysis, the salary and the intended period up to three years, and must state that she will not be self-employed. Any ownership stake in the U.S. company must be disclosed. A Canadian citizen may apply at a port of entry or have the U.S. employer file Form I-129; no TN visa stamp is required. A refusal is not a bar to reapplying with a corrected file, but it is recorded, so present the alternate route correctly the first time. TD dependants may study but not work. Before travel, compare the proposed duties with the letter, résumé and experience proof. The work must be a genuine prearranged professional engagement, not a way for the applicant to run the receiving enterprise on personal account. A first review should flag any ownership, subcontracting or independent-client arrangement for careful analysis before submission.
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.