Short answer
A TN support letter for an industrial designer is written by the U.S. employer and should cover the TN profession, the job’s professional activities, the length of stay, your credentials and your pay. For this category, the duties should describe industrial design of physical products: concept development, ergonomics and prototyping. Source: 8 CFR 214.6(d)(3), USCIS Policy Manual.
What an industrial designer letter must contain
No government form exists for the letter. Under 8 CFR 214.6(d)(3)(ii), the documentation for a Canadian applicant should describe the profession, the professional activities with a summary of daily duties, the anticipated length of stay, the applicant’s educational qualifications or credentials, and the arrangements for pay. For Industrial Designer, three details deserve extra care:
- The list entry, quoted exactly: “Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or Post-Secondary Diploma or Post-Secondary Certificate, and three years experience.”
- The credential route you actually use. Either a degree, or a post-secondary diploma or certificate plus three years of experience. This sample shows the degree route, so the qualifications paragraph names the degree, its field, the school, the country and the year. On the diploma route, the TN list defines a post-secondary diploma as a credential issued on completion of two or more years of post-secondary study.
- Duties that describe design of physical products. Concept development, sketches, models and prototypes, ergonomics, materials and production methods read as the profession. Digital-only product design is a different kind of work, so the duties should describe the physical products you actually design.
Annotated sample letter for an industrial designer
Fictional example. Every name, company, address, date and salary below is invented to show the structure. Your letter must describe your real job, confirmed by your employer.
January 15, 2027
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Re: Request for TN classification for Sophia Grace Example, citizen of Canada
Profession: Industrial Designer (USMCA, Chapter 16, Annex 16-A, Appendix 2)
Position: Industrial Designer
Requested period: Three years, February 1, 2027 through January 31, 2030
Dear Officer:
Example Product Design Studio Inc. (the “Company”) respectfully requests that Sophia Grace Example, a citizen of Canada, be admitted to the United States in TN status under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) to work for the Company as an Industrial Designer in the full-time position of Industrial Designer.
About the Company. Example Product Design Studio Inc. is a design studio that develops consumer and commercial products for manufacturing clients across North America. The Company is located at 900 Sample Road, Suite 400, Houston, TX 77002.
The position. As Industrial Designer, Ms. Example will perform professional industrial design work, reporting to the Company’s Design Director. The position is based in Houston, TX. Ms. Example’s principal duties will include:
- Develop design concepts for manufactured products.
- Prepare sketches, models and prototypes of product designs.
- Study ergonomics, materials and production methods for new products.
- Evaluate product safety, appearance and function against requirements.
- Collaborate with engineers and marketing teams on product development.
- Present design proposals to clients and stakeholders.
- Revise designs based on testing and production feedback.
The TN list of professions (Appendix 2 to Annex 16-A of the USMCA, set out in 8 CFR 214.6(c)) states the minimum requirement for Industrial Designer as: “Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or Post-Secondary Diploma or Post-Secondary Certificate, and three years experience.”
Ms. Example’s qualifications. Ms. Example holds a Bachelor of Industrial Design (Example University, Canada, 2015).
Length of stay. This is a temporary position. The Company anticipates requiring Ms. Example’s services for a period of three (3) years, beginning on or about February 1, 2027 and ending on January 31, 2030.
Remuneration. Ms. Example will be employed full-time, working 40 hours per week, at an annual base salary of US$88,000, paid through the Company’s U.S. payroll. Ms. Example will also be eligible for the Company’s standard employee benefits.
We respectfully request that Ms. Example be admitted in TN status as an Industrial Designer for the period stated above. Please contact me at [email protected] if you require any further information.
Sincerely,
Jordan Sample
Design Director
Example Product Design Studio Inc.
What each numbered part is doing
- The Re: block names the applicant, “citizen of Canada”, the TN profession exactly as it appears on the list (“Industrial Designer”), the job title and the requested dates.
- The request connects the employer, the applicant, the TN profession and the position in one sentence.
- About the Company says what the employer does, in its own words, and where it is.
- The position and duties carry the case. Every duty describes industrial design of physical products: developing concepts, preparing sketches, models and prototypes, studying ergonomics, materials and production methods, evaluating safety, appearance and function, and revising designs from testing feedback. None of them is digital-only product design.
- The minimum requirement quotes the list entry word for word, including the diploma-plus-experience alternative.
- Qualifications state the credential the applicant actually holds — the degree, its field, the school, the country and the year — matching the documents they bring.
- Length of stay says the job is temporary and gives dates, up to three years.
- Remuneration states pay, hours and the U.S. payroll.
This sample was generated by the same engine that builds TNPath letters, from fictional answers. The degree route is shown. On the diploma route, the qualifications paragraph names the post-secondary diploma and the years of experience in industrial design instead.
Common industrial designer letter mistakes
- Digital-only duties. UX design, UI design, app design, web design and wireframing read as digital product work rather than industrial design of physical products. If the real job is digital-only work of that kind, consider an independent review by a U.S. immigration lawyer.
- Mixing the credential routes. The diploma route pairs a post-secondary diploma — two or more years of post-secondary study — with three years of experience. Presenting a diploma without the experience, or a shorter program as a diploma, leaves the route the letter names undocumented.
- A title that points elsewhere. Titles such as Product Designer, UX Designer, UI Designer, Web Designer and App Designer often describe software or digital product work. Keep the real title, and make sure the duties honestly describe what you do.
- Vague design duties. Duties that could describe any design job — helping with projects, supporting the team — don’t show professional industrial design. Name the products, the design work and the outputs.
- No dates or pay. A letter without a period of stay or pay arrangements leaves out elements the regulation describes, and officers focus on a clearly temporary stay with defined dates.
Never add or inflate duties to fit a category. Every line should be something your employer will confirm and you can describe in your own words at the border.
Build your own industrial designer letter
Answer plain-English questions, pick from physical-product duty suggestions, and get flags for digital-only wording. Preview free; $99 USD to download.
Common questions
Is there an official TN support letter for industrial designers?
No. There’s no government form. The regulation, 8 CFR 214.6(d)(3), describes what the employer’s letter should cover, and the sample on this page is one way to lay it out.
What are the two credential routes?
A Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or a post-secondary diploma plus three years of experience. The diploma must have required two or more years of post-secondary study. (The list also names a Post-Secondary Certificate, which its definitions describe as a Mexican credential.)
What kind of design does this letter describe?
Industrial design of physical products: concept development, ergonomics, prototyping and design for manufacture. Digital-only product design is a different kind of work, so describe the physical-product design you actually do. TNPath does not decide whether a particular job fits the category.
Who signs the letter?
Someone at the U.S. employer with authority who knows the role, such as the hiring manager or an HR representative, on company letterhead.
Will TNPath tell me whether I qualify?
No. TNPath is a document-assembly tool. It organizes the facts you provide into templates and gives general information. It doesn’t make eligibility determinations or recommend case-specific strategy. Only U.S. Customs and Border Protection decides whether to admit you.
Sources
- 8 CFR 214.6: Citizens of Canada or Mexico seeking TN status (Cornell LII)
- USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 2, Part P: USMCA Professionals (TN)
- CBP: Traveling on a TN visa or L-1 from Canada
Last reviewed October 19, 2026. General information, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with official sources before you travel.