Short answer
This page is a free, blank TN visa support letter template: the complete employer letter with every detail shown as a [BRACKETED] placeholder, in the same section order the TNPath builder produces, with a note under each section on what must be true and what commonly goes wrong. It is a starting outline, not a finished letter — the template does not tailor duties, credentials or wording to any profession. Source: 8 CFR 214.6(d)(3).
Everything here is general information, not legal advice. There is no download and no email signup on this page: copy the text, replace every bracket with the real details of the actual job, and have the employer review, print on company letterhead and sign it. A filled-in fictional version of the same letter is on the annotated sample letter page, and the section-by-section requirements are in the TN support letter guide.
The template letter
⚠️ BLANK TEMPLATE — NOT A REAL LETTER
Every name, company, date and amount below is a [PLACEHOLDER]. Replace all of them with the real details of the actual job before anyone signs anything. Two routes are shown where the wording differs: the Canada route (application at a port of entry or preclearance) and the Mexico route (visa application at a U.S. consulate). Use only the variant for the applicant's citizenship and delete the other.
[EMPLOYER LETTERHEAD — employer legal name, street address, city, state, ZIP, website]
[Date]
Canada route:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Mexico route:
Consular Officer, U.S. Department of State
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Re: Request for TN classification for [Applicant full name], citizen of [Canada / Mexico]
Profession: [TN profession exactly as on the list] (USMCA, Chapter 16, Annex 16-A, Appendix 2)
Position: [Job title]
Requested period: [Period, e.g., Three years], [Start date] through [End date]
Dear Officer:
1. Request. Canada route: [Employer legal name] (the “Company”) respectfully requests that [Applicant full name], 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 / an] [TN profession exactly as on the list] in the [full-time / part-time] position of [Job title]. Mexico route: [Employer legal name] (the “Company”) respectfully requests that [Applicant full name], a citizen of Mexico, be issued a TN visa under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) to work for the Company as [a / an] [TN profession exactly as on the list] in the [full-time / part-time] position of [Job title].
2. About the Company. [What the company does, in the employer's own words — products or services, and who its customers are.] [Founded in [year], the Company has approximately [number] employees.] The Company is located at [Employer street address, city, state, ZIP].
3. The position. As [Job title], [Mr. / Ms. Last name] will perform [professional work for the profession — e.g., professional engineering work], reporting to the Company's [Supervisor title]. The position is based in [City, State]. [The position involves occasional business travel.] [Mr. / Ms. Last name]'s principal duties will include:
- [Duty 1 – professional-level, about X% of time];
- [Duty 2 – professional-level, about X% of time];
- [Duty 3 – professional-level, about X% of time];
- [Duty 4 – professional-level, about X% of time].
4. The TN list requirement. 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 [TN profession exactly as on the list] as: “[Requirement, quoted exactly as the TN list words it for that profession]”.
5. Qualifications. [Mr. / Ms. Last name]'s qualifications. [Mr. / Ms. Last name] holds [Credential the TN list names for this profession — degree name and field (School, Country, Year), and/or the licence or designation the list names]. [Mexico route, if applicable: [Mr. / Ms. Last name] holds a professional title (título profesional) and a federal professional licence (cédula profesional).] Evidence of [this credential / these credentials] is enclosed.
6. Length of stay. This is a temporary position. The Company anticipates requiring [Mr. / Ms. Last name]'s services for a period of [Period in words, e.g., three (3) years], beginning on or about [Start date] and ending on [End date].
7. Remuneration. [Mr. / Ms. Last name] will be employed [full-time, working [number] hours per week / part-time, working [number] hours per week] at an annual base salary of [US$ amount], paid through the Company's U.S. payroll. [In addition, [Mr. / Ms. Last name] will be eligible for [bonus / commission / equity, if applicable].] [[Mr. / Ms. Last name] will also be eligible for the Company's standard employee benefits[, including [benefits detail]].]
8. Closing. Canada route: We respectfully request that [Mr. / Ms. Last name] be admitted in TN status as [a / an] [TN profession exactly as on the list] for the period stated above. Please contact me at [Signer email] or [Signer phone] if you require any further information. Mexico route: We respectfully request that [Mr. / Ms. Last name] be issued a TN visa as [a / an] [TN profession exactly as on the list] for the period stated above. Please contact me at [Signer email] or [Signer phone] if you require any further information.
Sincerely,
[Signature]
[Signer printed name]
[Signer title]
[Employer legal name]
Enclosures:
- Copy of [Mr. / Ms. Last name]'s [Degree name] ([School, Country, Year]) diploma and transcripts;
- [Copy of the licence or designation document the TN list names, if applicable];
- [Mexico route: Copy of [Mr. / Ms. Last name]'s título profesional and cédula profesional];
- [Mexico route: Certified English translations of any Spanish-language documents presented];
- [Credential evaluation, if a degree is from outside the United States, Canada or Mexico].
Notes on each section: what must be true, and common mistakes
Heading, addressee and Re: block. What must be true: the letter is the employer's letter, on the employer's letterhead, addressed to the authority that will decide the application — CBP for the Canada port-of-entry route, and the consular officer (with the CBP line) for the Mexico consular route, because the same letter accompanies both the visa application and the later entry. The Re: block names the applicant, the citizenship, the profession, the position and the requested period with dates. Common mistakes: addressing a Mexico-route letter only to CBP; a Re: block with a job title but no TN profession; and a requested period with no start and end dates.
1. Request. What must be true: the paragraph asks for the correct outcome for the route — admission in TN status for a citizen of Canada, or issuance of a TN visa for a citizen of Mexico — and names the profession and the position in the first paragraph. Common mistakes: copying the other route's wording; naming a profession that is not on the TN list; and describing the applicant as self-employed or as a contractor. TN employment must be with a U.S. employer or entity, and self-employment is not permitted in TN classification (travel.state.gov). A worker who owns or controls the U.S. company that would employ them is treated as self-employed under USCIS guidance.
2. About the Company. What must be true: the description is the employer's real business, stated in its own words, with its real address, founding year and size if it states them. This paragraph is context for the prearranged job with a U.S. employer that USCIS requires (USCIS). Common mistakes: a description copied from a template that does not match what the company actually does, and numbers (headcount, founding year) nobody at the company can confirm.
3. The position and duties. What must be true: every duty describes professional-level work for the named profession — the analysis, judgment and standards-based work the profession involves — and the duties, title and credentials all describe the same job. USCIS's Policy Manual requires the documentation to describe the professional activities, including a summary of daily job duties if appropriate (USCIS Policy Manual, Vol. 2, Part P, Ch. 3). Common mistakes: duties written as clerical or support tasks (data entry, bookkeeping, help-desk work) under a professional title; vague lines such as “various tasks as assigned”; duties copied from another profession's letter; and percentages that do not add up or that the applicant cannot describe in their own words.
4. The TN list requirement. What must be true: the requirement is quoted exactly as the TN list words it for that profession — the credential in the letter must be the one the TN list names for that profession. The full list, with each profession's requirement, is on the TN professions list. Common mistakes: paraphrasing the requirement so it no longer matches the list; quoting the requirement for a different profession; and assuming experience can replace a required degree. USCIS's Policy Manual states that where the list requires a bachelor's or licenciatura degree, experience may not be substituted for the degree. USCIS updated its TN guidance in the Policy Manual on June 4, 2025 (Policy Alert PA-2025-05): under that guidance, several categories are read more narrowly than before, including Engineer, Computer Systems Analyst, Management Consultant and Scientific Technician/Technologist — for Engineer, for example, the guidance looks for a degree in an engineering field related to the position (USCIS Policy Manual, Vol. 2, Part P, Ch. 2). Those statements describe the published guidance; which category fits a particular job is a classification question this page does not decide.
5. Qualifications. What must be true: the credential named is one the applicant actually holds and can document — degree name, field, school, country and year, and any licence or designation the list names. If a degree is from outside the United States, Canada or Mexico, a credential evaluation accompanies it. Common mistakes: naming a credential the applicant cannot produce; a degree field unrelated to the duties with no explanation in the letter; and, on the Mexico route, presenting a carta de pasante as degree proof — U.S. Department of State guidance (9 FAM 402.17) treats the título or cédula as the degree proof.
6. Length of stay. What must be true: the letter shows a temporary stay with concrete dates, up to three years per admission (USCIS), and the dates match the Re: block, the offer documents and what the applicant says. Common mistakes: asking for “three years” with no dates; wording that reads as permanent employment; and dates that disagree with the rest of the packet.
7. Remuneration. What must be true: the pay arrangement is stated — amount, salary or hourly basis, hours per week — and, where it applies, that pay is through the U.S. employer's U.S. payroll. “Arrangements for remuneration” is one of the five items the documentation must affirm under 8 CFR 214.6(d)(3). Common mistakes: no pay figure at all; pay described as contract or invoice payments to the applicant's own company, which reads as self-employment rather than employment; and a salary in the letter that differs from the offer letter.
8. Closing, signature and enclosures. What must be true: a person at the employer with authority over the role signs the letter, with printed name, title and a phone number or email where they can be reached, and every document listed as an enclosure is actually in the packet. Common mistakes: the applicant signing their own letter; an enclosure list naming documents that are not included; and contact details nobody answers. Before the employer signs, run the finished letter through the free TN letter checker, which checks whether the text mentions each of the five items in 8 CFR 214.6(d)(3) — the profession, the professional activities and duties, the anticipated length of stay, the educational qualifications or credentials, and the arrangements for remuneration.
What this template does not do
This template does not tailor duties, credentials or wording to a profession. The duty lines, the TN list requirement and the credential line are placeholders: the wording that fits an Engineer, a Registered Nurse and an Accountant differs, and a generic template cannot supply it. It also does not check consistency across a packet, flag duties that read as clerical for the named profession, or adapt the letter beyond the two route variants shown.
| Item | By hand, with this template | TNPath builder (US$99) |
|---|---|---|
| Duties | Four blank duty lines to write yourself. | Profession-specific duty suggestions for the selected profession, edited to the answers given. |
| Credential wording | A bracketed line; the TN list requirement must be looked up and quoted by hand. | The requirement sentence is generated from the TN list entry for the selected profession, with the applicant's credential as entered. |
| Canada / Mexico versions | Both route variants shown inline; the unused variant must be deleted by hand. | The version matching the citizenship selected — the Canada port-of-entry wording or the Mexico consular wording, including the título/cédula lines. |
| Packet guide | None. The letter is the only document on this page. | A personalized packet guide covering the documents to bring and the steps for the selected route. |
| Employer review checklist | None. | A checklist written for the employer to work through before signing. |
| Proofread | Self-check only; the free letter checker confirms whether the five items are mentioned. | An automated proofread of the generated letter against the answers given. |
| Output | Text on this page, to copy and format yourself. | An editable Word letter and the PDF packet guide, generated from the answers. |
| Cost | Free. | US$99 one-time. |
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Related pages
Frequently asked questions
Is this template the same as the TN support letter sample?
No. The sample letter is filled in with fictional details so each paragraph can be read as a finished letter. This template is the blank version of the same letter: every detail is a [BRACKETED] placeholder to replace with the real details of an actual job.
Who fills in the template, and who signs the finished letter?
The finished letter is the U.S. employer's letter. An applicant often drafts it by filling in the template, but the employer reviews every line, corrects anything that is not accurate, prints it on company letterhead and signs it. A letter signed by the applicant is not an employer support letter.
Which addressee and request wording apply — Canada or Mexico?
The template shows both, labelled by route. The Canada route uses the U.S. Customs and Border Protection addressee and asks that the applicant “be admitted to the United States in TN status”. The Mexico route uses the Consular Officer, U.S. Department of State addressee (with the CBP line) and asks that the applicant “be issued a TN visa”. Delete the variant that does not apply.
What five things must the letter's documentation affirm?
Under 8 CFR 214.6(d)(3), the documentation must fully affirm: (A) the profession under Appendix 2 to Annex 16-A of USMCA Chapter 16; (B) a description of the professional activities, including a brief summary of daily job duties if appropriate; (C) the anticipated length of stay; (D) the educational qualifications or appropriate credentials demonstrating professional-level status; and (E) the arrangements for remuneration. The free letter checker tests whether a pasted letter mentions each of the five.
Is there a downloadable or Word version of this template?
No. This page has no download file and no email signup. The TNPath builder generates the editable Word letter (and the PDF packet guide) from the answers given, for US$99; this free page is the copy-and-fill-in version.
Why does the template leave the duties and credentials blank instead of giving standard wording?
Because the wording is profession-specific. The TN list names a different credential for each profession, and duties must describe professional-level work for that profession. Standard duty or credential wording copied across professions would describe a job that is not the actual job. The builder's profession-specific duty suggestions and credential wording exist for that reason.
Sources
- eCFR: 8 CFR 214.6 — Canadian and Mexican citizens (TN)
- USCIS: TN USMCA Professionals
- USCIS Policy Manual, Vol. 2, Part P, Ch. 2 (TN guidance updated June 4, 2025, PA-2025-05)
- U.S. Department of State: Visas for Canadian and Mexican USMCA Professional Workers
Last reviewed October 20, 2026. General information, not legal advice. Rules and fees change; confirm with official sources before you travel.