Short answer
Twelve professions on the TN list are health professions, from Registered Nurse to Veterinarian. They follow the same TN structure as every other profession — a listed profession, the credential the list names for it, and a prearranged job with a U.S. employer. Health adds two layers: four of the twelve also sit under the federal health care worker certificate rule at 8 CFR 212.15, and all of them involve state licensure before you can practise. This page quotes what the TN list itself says for each health profession, word for word, and then explains the two extra layers.
The health professions on the TN list
The list gives every profession a credential entry. These are the twelve health entries, exactly as published in Appendix 2 to Annex 16-A of USMCA Chapter 16 (8 CFR 214.6(c)):
| Profession | What the TN list requires (quoted) | Read more |
|---|---|---|
| Dentist | “D.D.S., D.M.D., Doctor en Odontologia or Doctor en Cirugia Dental; or state/provincial license.” | Guide |
| Dietitian | “Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial license.” | Guide |
| Medical Laboratory Technologist (Canada)/Medical Technologist (Mexico and the United States) | “Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or Post-Secondary Diploma or Post-Secondary Certificate, and three years experience.” | Guide |
| Nutritionist | “Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree.” | Guide |
| Occupational Therapist | “Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial license.” | Guide |
| Pharmacist | “Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial license.” | Guide Sample letter |
| Physician (teaching or research only) | “M.D. or Doctor en Medicina; or state/provincial license.” | Guide |
| Physiotherapist/Physical Therapist | “Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial license.” | Guide Sample letter |
| Psychologist | “State/provincial license; or Licenciatura Degree.” | Guide |
| Recreational Therapist | “Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree.” | Guide |
| Registered Nurse | “State/provincial license; or Licenciatura Degree.” | Guide Sample letter |
| Veterinarian | “D.V.M., D.M.V., or Doctor en Veterinaria; or state/provincial license.” | Guide |
Each profession’s own guide works through its credential routes, its documents and its support letter. The complete list — all 63 professions, not just health — is the TN professions list.
The health care worker certificate (8 CFR 212.15)
Separate from the TN list, federal law requires a certificate for some foreign health care workers. Under 8 CFR 212.15, a person seeking admission “for the primary purpose of performing labor in a health care occupation” listed in that section must present a certificate from an approved credentialing organization. The occupations the regulation lists are licensed practical, licensed vocational and registered nurses; occupational therapists; physical therapists; speech language pathologists and audiologists; medical technologists (clinical laboratory scientists); physician assistants; and medical technicians (clinical laboratory technicians).
Of the twelve TN health professions, four fall in that list: Registered Nurse, Occupational Therapist, Physiotherapist/Physical Therapist, and Medical Laboratory Technologist (as a medical technologist). The certificate most applicants use is the VisaScreen® certificate, issued by TruMerit (formerly CGFNS) — the organization the regulation names, at 8 CFR 212.15(e), as the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS). The regulation also names the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) for occupational therapy and the Foreign Credentialing Commission on Physical Therapy (FCCPT) for physical therapy.
Two details matter for Canadians. Physicians are exempt from the certificate rule entirely (8 CFR 212.15(b)(1)), and the other eight TN health professions are not in its occupation list at all. And the certificate’s English-testing rules exempt graduates of programs in Canada (except Quebec), Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States (8 CFR 212.15(g)(2)). For nurses, the regulation also provides an alternative “certified statement” in defined circumstances, at 8 CFR 212.15(h).
The certificate is not a licence to practise: the regulation says a certificate “does not constitute professional authorization to practice in that health care occupation” (8 CFR 212.15(a)(3)). That is what the next section is about.
State licensure: a separate track
Several TN list entries name a “state/provincial license” as the credential, or as an alternative to a degree. That wording is about the TN category: it is the credential the list asks you to show the officer. Practising the profession in a U.S. state is a different question. States license health professionals, and the licence to work comes from the state where you will work — the federal certificate does not grant it, and neither does TN admission itself. Run the two tracks in parallel: the certificate, where your occupation needs one, and the state licence process, which has its own examinations and timelines. Each profession guide covers its own licensure notes, and the document checklist generator builds the document list for your profession and route.
The Physician entry is the narrow one
The list does not name a general Physician category. Its entry reads:
“Physician (teaching or research only) — M.D. or Doctor en Medicina; or state/provincial license.”TN profession list, Appendix 2 to Annex 16-A of USMCA Chapter 16 (8 CFR 214.6(c))
Patient care, clinical practice, and residency or fellowship training as the main work fall outside what the entry describes; the category is for physicians coming to teach or to conduct research. The Physician guide works through how the duties have to be framed. Note the overlap with the certificate rule: physicians are also the one group 8 CFR 212.15 expressly leaves out (8 CFR 212.15(b)(1)).
Common questions
Which health professions are on the TN list?
Twelve: Dentist, Dietitian, Medical Laboratory Technologist, Nutritionist, Occupational Therapist, Pharmacist, Physician (teaching or research only), Physiotherapist/Physical Therapist, Psychologist, Recreational Therapist, Registered Nurse and Veterinarian. Each has its own credential entry on the list, quoted word for word on this page.
Does every TN health profession need the health care worker certificate?
No. The certificate rule at 8 CFR 212.15 covers the occupations it lists. Of the TN health professions, it reaches registered nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists and medical technologists. Physicians are expressly outside the rule, and the other TN health professions are not in the regulation’s occupation list.
Is a VisaScreen certificate the same as a state licence?
No. The regulation itself says a certificate does not constitute professional authorization to practice. The certificate is a federal admission requirement for the occupations it covers; the licence to practise comes from the U.S. state where you will work, on a separate track.
Can a physician provide patient care in TN status?
The TN list entry is “Physician (teaching or research only)”. Patient care, clinical practice, and residency or fellowship training as the main work fall outside what the entry describes. The Physician guide covers the duties wording in detail.
Will TNPath tell me whether my credential is enough?
No. TNPath quotes the list and organizes your documents; it does not decide whether a credential or a role fits a category. Only the officer — at CBP for Canadians applying in person — decides that.
Sources
- eCFR: 8 CFR 214.6, including Appendix 2 to Annex 16-A (the TN profession list)
- eCFR: 8 CFR 212.15, Certificates for foreign health care workers
- USCIS: TN USMCA Professionals
Last reviewed October 19, 2026. General information, not legal advice. Rules and fees change; confirm with official sources before you travel.