USMCA / NAFTA Professional List 2024

Appendix 1603.D.1 – Professions Covered by NAFTA

This page provides the current NAFTA Professional List of occupations, with minimum education requirements and alternative credentials, required for admission to the U.S. under the terms of NAFTA.

General TN Visa Professions List

Profession	Minimum Educational Requirements
Accountant	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree; or C.P.A., C.A., C.G.A., or C.M.A. – Conducting seminars and business training will also help.
Architect	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree; or state/provincial license. ( State license is any document issued by a state of governmental body )
Computer Systems Analyst	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree; or Post-Secondary Diploma or Post Secondary Certificate and three years experience.
Lawyer	(including Notary in the province of Québec) L.L.B., J.D., L.L.L., B.C.L., or Licenciatura degree (five years); or membership in a state/provincial bar.
Management Consultant	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree; or equivalent professional experience as established by statement or professional credential attesting to five years experience as a management consultant, or five years experience in a field of specialty related to the consulting agreement. Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree.
Librarian	M.L.S., or B.L.S. (for which another Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree was a prerequisite).
Mathematician	(including statistician) Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree.
Industrial designer	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree; or post-secondary diploma or post-secondary certificate, and three years experience.
Landscape Architect	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree.
Hotel manager	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree in hotel/restaurant management; or post-secondary diploma or post-secondary certificate in hotel/restaurant management and three years experience in hotel/restaurant management.
Forester	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree; or state/provincial license.
Disaster relief insurance claims adjuster	(claims adjuster employed by an insurance company located in the territory of a Party, or an independent claims adjuster) Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree and successful completion of training in the appropriate areas of insurance adjustment pertaining to disaster relief claims; or three years experience in claims adjustment and successful completion of training in the appropriate areas of insurance adjustment pertaining to disaster relief claims.
Economist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree.
Engineer	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree; or state/provincial license.
Graphic designer	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree; or post-secondary diploma and three years experience.
Research assistant	(working in a post-secondary educational institution) Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree.
Interior designer	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree; or post-secondary diploma or post-secondary certificate, and three years experience.
Land surveyor	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree or state/provincial/federal license.
Range manager/ Range conservationist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree.
Social worker	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree.
Teacher / College or University	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree.
Sylviculturist	(including forestry specialist) Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree.
Technical publications writer	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree, or post-secondary diploma or post-secondary certificate, and three years experience.
Scientific technician/ technologist	1. A theoretical knowledge of any of the following disciplines: agricultural sciences, astronomy, biology, chemistry, engineering, forestry, geology, geophysics, meteorology, or physics; 2. The ability to solve practical problems in any of those disciplines, or the ability to apply principles of any of those disciplines to basic or applied research.
Teacher / Seminary	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree.
Urban planner	(including geographer) Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree.
Vocational counselor	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree.

Medical/Allied Professionals for TN Visa

Profession	Minimum Educational Requirements
Nutritionist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree.
Occupational therapist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree; or state/provincial license.
Medical laboratory technologist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree; or post-secondary diploma or post secondary certificate, and three years experience.
Pharmacist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree; or state/provincial license.
Recreational therapist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree.
Physician	(teaching or research only) M.D., Doctor en Medicina: or state/provincial license.
Dietitian	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree; or state/provincial license.
Dentist	D.D.S., D.M.D., Doctor en Odontologia or Doctor en Cirugia Dental or state/provincial license.
Physiotherapist/ physical therapist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree; or state/provincial license.
Registered nurse	State/provincial license or Licenciatura degree.
Psychologist	State/provincial license; or Licenciatura degree.
Veterinarian	D.V.M., D.M.V., or Doctor en Veterinaria; or state/provincial license.

Scientist Professionals for TN Visa

Profession	Minimum Educational Requirements
Animal breeder	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree.
Animal scientist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree.
Astronomer	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree.
Agriculturist	(agronomist) Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree.
Apiculturist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree.
Biochemist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree.
Biologist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree.
Chemist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree.
Dairy scientist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree.
Entomologist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree.
Epidemiologist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree.
Geologist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree.
Geochemist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree.
Geneticist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree.
Geophysicist	(including Oceanographer in Mexico and the United States) Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree.
Horticulturist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree.
Meteorologist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree.
Physicist	(including Oceanographer in Canada) Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree.
Pharmacologist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree.
Poultry scientist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree.
Plant Breeder	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree.
Soil scientist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree.
Zoologist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree.

What is a TN Job?

TN ( Trade NAFTA ) status is a non-immidrant employment visa that allows citizens of Canada and Mexico as NAFTA professionals to work in the United States in prearranged business activities for US or foreign employers.

More about the TN Visa

USMCA Professional Occupations versus NAFTA

On July 1, 2020, The United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and the Official Occupations or NAFTA Job List has not changed. You can reference this below.

Scrutinized NAFTA (TN1) Occupations

Some NAFTA (TN1) Occupations are more highly scrutinized by Immigration Officers. If you qualify for the TN (TN1) Visa under one of these scrutinized occupations, proceed with care when creating your TN Visa Application.

Scrutinized NAFTA Occupations include:

• Management Consultant
• Computer Systems Analyst
• Engineer
• Scientific Technician / Technologist

“Real Life” Job Titles that Require Special Attention:

Some NAFTA Professions need special attention. You can see the list below.

• Computer Systems Hardware Analyst
• Management Analyst
• Programmer Analyst
• Systems Analyst
• Biologist
• Consultant
• Director, Research and Development (any industry)
• Economist
• Editor, Technical and Scientific Publication
• Aerospace Engineer
• Electro-optical Engineer
• Optical Engineer
• Graphic Designer
• Interior Designer
• Branch Manager (any industry)
• Customer Technical Services Manager
• Department Manager (any industry)
• Industrial Organization Manager (any industry)
• Office Manager (any industry)
• Program Manager
• Sales Manager (any industry)
• Production Superintendent
• Project Director
• Purchasing Agent
• Technician
• Civil Engineering Technician
• Electronics Technician
• Vice President (any industry)
• Writer, Technical Publications

These are “real-life” job titles. Inclusion here does not mean the job title is on the NAFTA Occupation.  It is important to look at the job’s responsibilities, versus the job’s title alone. Our team can provide a detailed step-by-step instructions for how to choose the right NAFTA Occupation for you and how to apply for a TN-1 Visa under one of these highly scrutinized occupations and also be successful.

Options For Choosing The Right NAFTA Occupation

Talk to an experienced immigration lawyer to help you with your case

Consequences For Choosing The Wrong NAFTA Occupation

• Being denied your TN Visa
• Having to re-apply at a later date
• Having to create a stronger TN Visa Employer Letter
• Missing your employment start date
• Time and money of rescheduling travel plans, flights, etc.
• Significantly increasing your stress over facing another possible TN Visa denial