Short answer
A TN support letter for a physiotherapist/physical therapist 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. Physiotherapist and Physical Therapist are the names in one TN entry. The health-care-worker certificate and U.S. state practice rules are separate from the letter. Source: 8 CFR 214.6(d)(3), 8 CFR 212.15.
What a physiotherapist/physical therapist 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 Physiotherapist/Physical Therapist, three details deserve extra care:
- The list entry, quoted exactly: “Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial license.”
- The credential routes you actually use. Either a degree, or a state/provincial licence: the quoted routes are alternatives, not a demand to hold every credential. This sample’s fictional applicant holds both, so the qualifications paragraph names the provincial licence, its regulator and the year it was first issued, and the degree, its field, the school, the country and the year.
- The separate requirements the letter does not replace. The state where you’ll work has its own practice rules — a provincial licence is not a statement that you hold a U.S. state licence. Separately, 8 CFR 212.15 addresses health-care-worker certification for physical therapists, and its listed credentialing organizations include CGFNS and FCCPT.
Annotated sample letter for a physiotherapist/physical therapist
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 Lucas James Example, citizen of Canada
Profession: Physiotherapist/Physical Therapist (USMCA, Chapter 16, Annex 16-A, Appendix 2)
Position: Physical Therapist
Requested period: Three years, February 1, 2027 through January 31, 2030
Dear Officer:
Example Rehabilitation Clinic Inc. (the “Company”) respectfully requests that Lucas James 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 a Physiotherapist/Physical Therapist in the full-time position of Physical Therapist.
About the Company. Example Rehabilitation Clinic Inc. operates an outpatient clinic providing physical therapy and rehabilitation services to patients in the Fort Worth area. The Company is located at 800 Sample Street, Suite 120, Fort Worth, TX 76102.
The position. As Physical Therapist, Mr. Example will perform professional physiotherapy work, reporting to the Company’s Clinic Director. The position is based in Fort Worth, TX. Mr. Example’s principal duties will include:
- Review patients’ histories and clinical referrals.
- Assess patients’ movement and functional limitations.
- Develop individualized physical therapy plans.
- Provide therapeutic exercises for mobility.
- Evaluate progress and adjust treatment plans.
- Teach patients strategies for recovery.
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 Physiotherapist/Physical Therapist as: “Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial license.”
Mr. Example’s qualifications. Mr. Example holds a provincial physical therapy license issued by the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario, first issued in 2018, and a Master of Physical Therapy (Example University, Canada, 2018).
Length of stay. This is a temporary position. The Company anticipates requiring Mr. Example’s services for a period of three (3) years, beginning on or about February 1, 2027 and ending on January 31, 2030.
Remuneration. Mr. Example will be employed full-time, working 40 hours per week, at an annual base salary of US$92,000, paid through the Company’s U.S. payroll. Mr. Example will also be eligible for the Company’s standard employee benefits.
We respectfully request that Mr. Example be admitted in TN status as a Physiotherapist/Physical Therapist for the period stated above. Please contact me at [email protected] if you require any further information.
Sincerely,
Morgan Sample
Clinic Director
Example Rehabilitation Clinic 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 (“Physiotherapist/Physical Therapist”), 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 professional physiotherapy work: reviewing histories and referrals, assessing movement and functional limitations, developing treatment plans, therapeutic exercise, evaluating progress and teaching recovery strategies. None of them describes aide-level work.
- The minimum requirement quotes the list entry word for word, including the licence alternative.
- Qualifications state the credentials the applicant actually holds: the provincial licence, with its regulator and the year it was first issued, and the degree, 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 and the provincial licence are both shown, because the fictional applicant holds both; the list treats them as alternatives. The letter does not mention the health-care-worker certificate: that certificate is a separate document the applicant brings, described in the physiotherapist guide.
Common physiotherapist/physical therapist letter mistakes
- Arriving without the health-care-worker certificate. 8 CFR 212.15 addresses certification for physical therapists, separately from the TN application, and it takes time to get. Do not treat an in-progress application as an issued certificate.
- Treating a provincial licence as a U.S. state licence. The TN list credential, state practice authorization and the health-care-worker certificate answer different questions. Check the state rules for the actual work with your employer and the relevant state authority.
- Aide, fitness or massage duties. Patient transport, massage services, personal training and appointment scheduling read as support work or another occupation, not professional physiotherapy. Assistant, fitness and massage roles should not be assumed to be the same profession. Consider an independent review by a U.S. immigration lawyer.
- Relabelling a different role. Physical Therapy Assistant, Therapy Aide, Personal Trainer and Massage Therapist titles can describe support work or another occupation. Keep the real title, and make sure the duties honestly describe what you do.
- 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 physiotherapist letter
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Common questions
Is there an official TN support letter for physiotherapists?
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.
Are Physiotherapist and Physical Therapist separate TN entries?
No. The list names Physiotherapist/Physical Therapist in one entry. The guide and letter keep that full title.
Does the letter replace the health-care-worker certificate or U.S. state licensure?
No. They are separate from the letter. 8 CFR 212.15 addresses certification for physical therapists, and its listed credentialing organizations include CGFNS and FCCPT; confirm the applicable requirements before you travel. Separately, the state where you’ll work has its own practice rules, and a provincial licence is not a U.S. state licence.
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)
- 8 CFR 212.15: Certificates for foreign health care workers (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.