Everything here is general information, not legal advice. No official agency publishes TN approval or denial statistics, so any site quoting a denial percentage is guessing — this page makes no success-rate claims. Every fact below is linked to its source.
Built by a Canadian who has been through the TN process at the border.
What the government actually requires in the letter
Two lists matter, and they are not identical.
USCIS says the letter must detail: the professional capacity in which the applicant will work in the United States, the purpose of employment, the length of stay, and the educational qualifications. (USCIS)
The State Department adds that the employment letter or contract should include: the purpose of entry, a detailed description of anticipated business activities or job responsibilities, the anticipated length of stay, educational qualifications or appropriate credentials demonstrating professional status, evidence of compliance with DHS regulations and/or state laws, and arrangements for pay. (travel.state.gov)
USCIS's Policy Manual adds the duties rule: the documentation must describe the professional activities the person will perform, "including a summary of the daily job duties, if appropriate." (USCIS Policy Manual, Vol. 2, Part P, Ch. 3)
Read together, the letter must answer five questions: (1) is this a USMCA-listed profession, (2) does this position require a USMCA professional, (3) what will the person do day to day, (4) how long will they stay, and (5) are they qualified. The sample below is built to answer all five — each section is mapped to these lists right after the letter. (For a shorter section-by-section outline, see the TN visa support letter guide.)
The sample letter
⚠️ SAMPLE TEMPLATE — ILLUSTRATION ONLY
This is not a real person's letter. Every name, company, date, salary, and detail below is fictional and exists only to show the structure a TN support letter needs. Replace everything in [BRACKETS] with the real details of the actual job. General information only — not legal advice, and not a promise of any outcome.
[COMPANY LETTERHEAD]
[DATE]
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Officer in Charge, [PORT OF ENTRY NAME]
Re: TN Nonimmigrant Status — [APPLICANT FULL NAME], Canadian Citizen — USMCA Profession: Accountant
Dear Officer:
1. Purpose of entry. [COMPANY LEGAL NAME] ("[COMPANY]") writes in support of the TN application of [APPLICANT FULL NAME], a citizen of Canada, for admission to the United States as a USMCA Professional (TN-1) in the profession of Accountant under USMCA Chapter 16, Annex 16-A, Appendix 2. [APPLICANT] has accepted the full-time position of [JOB TITLE] with [COMPANY] at our [CITY, STATE] office.
2. The employer. [COMPANY] is a [DESCRIPTION, e.g., regional public accounting firm] with [NUMBER] employees and offices in [CITIES]. [ONE OR TWO SENTENCES about what the company does, e.g., "We provide tax compliance, audit, and financial-statement services to small and mid-sized businesses."]
3. The position. The position of [JOB TITLE] requires a professional qualified in the USMCA-listed profession of Accountant. [COMPANY] requires this position to be filled by a person holding [REQUIREMENT, e.g., a bachelor's degree in accounting or a recognized accounting credential]. This is not a clerical or entry-level role: it requires the independent exercise of professional accounting judgment.
4. Duties. [APPLICANT]'s daily duties will include:
- Preparing and reviewing corporate and individual tax returns under U.S. tax law, including calculating taxable income and applying deductions and credits;
- Planning and performing financial-statement audits and reviews, including testing internal controls and forming audit opinions under U.S. generally accepted auditing standards;
- Advising clients on the accounting treatment of business transactions, including revenue recognition and business combinations;
- Preparing audit reports and management letters communicating findings and recommendations;
- Researching complex tax and accounting issues and preparing written technical memoranda.
[APPLICANT] will report to [SUPERVISOR NAME], [SUPERVISOR TITLE]. [IF TRUE: [APPLICANT] will not supervise or manage U.S. employees.] These are professional-level accounting duties that require the education and credential described in paragraph 5.
5. Credentials. [COMPANY] confirms that this position requires [CREDENTIAL REQUIREMENT, e.g., a bachelor's degree in accounting]. [APPLICANT] holds a [DEGREE NAME, e.g., Bachelor of Commerce (Honours)] from [UNIVERSITY], [CITY, PROVINCE], awarded in [YEAR]. [IF THE DEGREE IS FROM OUTSIDE THE U.S., CANADA, OR MEXICO: a credential evaluation by [EVALUATION SERVICE] concluding U.S. bachelor's-degree equivalency is enclosed.] [APPLICANT] is a member in good standing of [PROFESSIONAL BODY, e.g., Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario].
6. Length of stay. [COMPANY] requests TN admission for [APPLICANT] for a period of [LENGTH OF STAY, e.g., three (3) years], beginning on or about [START DATE] and ending on [END DATE]. The position is [full-time / part-time, approximately [NUMBER] hours per week]. [APPLICANT] will reside in [CITY, STATE] for the duration of the employment.
7. Pay. [APPLICANT] will be employed directly by [COMPANY] as a [full-time / part-time] employee — not as an independent contractor. Compensation will be a base salary of $[SALARY] per [year], paid [semi-monthly / bi-weekly], [plus [BONUS OR BENEFITS, if applicable]]. [IF TRUE: Salary is paid through [COMPANY]'s U.S. payroll.]
8. Compliance. [COMPANY] confirms that this employment complies with applicable U.S. federal and [STATE] regulations. [IF THE PROFESSION REQUIRES A STATE LICENSE: [APPLICANT] [holds / will obtain before practicing in the state] a [STATE] [PROFESSIONAL LICENSE].]
We respectfully request that [APPLICANT FULL NAME] be admitted to the United States in TN-1 status. If you need anything further, please contact [CONTACT NAME], [TITLE], at [PHONE] or [EMAIL].
Respectfully,
[SIGNATURE]
[PRINTED NAME]
[TITLE, e.g., Partner / Chief Financial Officer / Director of Human Resources]
[COMPANY LEGAL NAME]
[PHONE] | [EMAIL]
Section by section: what each paragraph must accomplish
Section 1 — Purpose of entry. The officer should know in ten seconds who is applying, under which profession, and what the letter asks for. This satisfies USCIS's "professional capacity in which you will work" and "purpose of employment," and the State Department's "purpose of entry." Name the profession exactly as it appears in the USMCA Appendix 2 list (the canonical text is the trade.gov-hosted USMCA Chapter 16). There is no profession called "software developer" or "product manager" on that list — a wrong title sinks the application before the duties are read.
Section 2 — The employer. Not on either requirement list, but USCIS eligibility requires a prearranged job with a U.S. employer or entity (USCIS), and the officer has to believe this employer is real and the job is real. Two or three sentences of concrete fact — what the company does, how many employees, where — does that job. Keep it short; this is context, not the argument.
Section 3 — The position. This paragraph ties the job to the treaty list. USCIS requires the position to be one that needs a USMCA professional — eligibility condition #3 on the USCIS page. State the requirement the company imposes (degree, credential, or both) so the officer sees why an ordinary worker cannot fill the role. The sample says plainly that the role is not clerical — a commonly reported denial pattern is a title that fits while the duties don't (see common denial patterns).
Section 4 — Duties. This is the heart of the letter. The State Department requires "a detailed description of anticipated business activities or job responsibilities," and USCIS's Policy Manual requires a description of the professional activities including "a summary of the daily job duties, if appropriate." (USCIS Policy Manual)
Write this paragraph for an officer, not for HR. Officers focus on duties, not titles — that is the consistent theme in reported denials (a "consultant" doing engineer work, a "computer systems analyst" who mostly programs). That pattern comes from applicant reports, not from a government rule; the rule is that the position must require a USMCA professional and the duties must be at a professional level. So every duty should describe professional work: analysis, judgment, standards applied, conclusions formed. Each bullet in the sample names the professional task, the standard used, and the output produced. One note on the "will not supervise" line: no government rule bans supervisors from TN, but applicant reports describe denials after a casual "I supervise people" answer. If the role genuinely does not manage people, saying so removes a question the officer might otherwise ask.
Section 5 — Credentials. This satisfies USCIS's "educational qualifications" and the State Department's "appropriate credentials demonstrating professional status." State the requirement, then what the applicant holds — degree name, school, city, year. If the degree is from outside the United States, Canada, or Mexico, a credential evaluation from a reliable evaluation service must accompany it — that is a USCIS Policy Manual requirement. (USCIS Policy Manual) (For how evaluations work at the border, see our guide to credential evaluation for TN.)
Two credential rules applicants get wrong: first, when a profession requires a bachelor's or licenciatura degree, experience cannot be substituted for it. (USCIS Policy Manual; travel.state.gov) Second, claiming a credential the applicant cannot document is misrepresentation, and fraud or willful misrepresentation can mean permanent refusal of entry. (travel.state.gov)
Section 6 — Length of stay. USCIS requires the letter to state the length of stay; the State Department asks for the anticipated length of stay. Give concrete dates — "from [date] to [date]" — and note full-time or part-time. TN is admitted for up to 3 years per admission (USCIS), so asking for three years is normal. A letter with no dates is a common, fixable flaw.
Section 7 — Pay. The State Department requires "arrangements for pay" in the letter. State the salary, the pay schedule and, if it's true, that it comes from the company's U.S. payroll. This also proves the employment relationship: the applicant is an employee, not a contractor. Self-employment is not permitted on TN (travel.state.gov).
Section 8 — Compliance, contact, and signature. The State Department requires "evidence of compliance with DHS regulations and/or state laws." A one-line statement covers the federal side; if the profession is state-licensed, the license status goes here — the State Department notes proof of licensure isn't required for the visa, but state authorities may require it on arrival (travel.state.gov). End with a real contact person: an officer who cannot reach anyone at the company has doubts.
Weak vs strong: the duties paragraph
The same job can be described two ways. One reads as professional work; the other raises the exact doubts officers cite when they refuse an application.
Weak duties paragraph:
"[APPLICANT] will work in our finance department as an Accountant. Responsibilities include financial reporting, bookkeeping, budgeting, and supporting the team with various accounting tasks as assigned."
Why this version invites a refusal:
- No professional-level detail. The officer cannot tell whether this job requires a USMCA professional. "Financial reporting" and "various tasks as assigned" could describe anything.
- It sounds clerical. "Bookkeeping" and "supporting the team" describe work done by people without degrees. A commonly reported denial pattern is a title that fits while the duties don't — this paragraph is exactly that.
- Nothing links the duties to the credentials — the letter claims a degree, then describes duties that need none.
- "As assigned" is an empty phrase. It tells the officer the employer hasn't actually defined the role.
Strong duties paragraph: the Section 4 paragraph in the sample above.
Why it works:
- Every bullet is professional work. Tax returns under U.S. tax law, audit opinions under U.S. GAAS, technical memoranda — each duty obviously requires professional training.
- Standards are named — U.S. tax law, U.S. GAAS — showing judgment applied within a professional framework, not data entry.
- It mirrors the credential paragraph: title, duties, and credentials all agree — which is what the officer is checking.
A related failure mode: handing the officer only a standard offer letter or employment contract instead of a support letter. A plain offer letter has a salary, a start date, and a signature — and none of the required content: no USMCA profession named, no detailed duties, no credential statement, no length-of-stay framing. Reported denials repeatedly involve applicants who brought only the contract. Bring the contract too — as a companion document. It is not the letter.
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Frequently asked questions
Who should sign the TN support letter?
The letter comes from the U.S. employer or entity — it is the employer's letter to the officer, describing the job it is offering. It should be signed by someone at the company with authority over the role: a hiring manager, partner, officer of the company, or HR director, with printed name, title, and a phone number or email where they can actually be reached. A reported CBP checklist that officers have handed to applicants lists company letterhead with an original signature (it's found only on a law-firm website, not on cbp.gov, so treat it as practice, not law). A letter signed by the applicant themselves is not a support letter.
Does the letter have to be on company letterhead?
No government page says "letterhead" in so many words. But the reported CBP checklist lists company letterhead with an original signature, and every professional reading of the requirements points the same way: a signed letter on company letterhead is the standard presentation. An unsigned Word document or a plain email reads as unofficial. Print it on letterhead, sign it in ink, and bring the original.
How long should the support letter be?
There is no required length — no government page gives a page count. The rule is completeness: the letter must carry everything on the USCIS and State Department lists above. In practice, that usually takes one to two pages. A half-page letter almost always means something required was left out — usually the detailed duties. A five-page letter usually means padding. Cover the requirements; stop when you're done.
Can I draft the letter myself?
The letter must be the employer's letter — it describes the job the company is offering, on the company's letterhead, with the company's signature. In practice, applicants often draft it for their employer to review, edit, sign, and print. That arrangement works because the employer stands behind every word when the officer calls. What matters is that the employer has genuinely reviewed and authorized it, not who typed the first draft.
Will my standard offer letter work as a support letter?
No. A standard offer letter states the title, salary, and start date — and skips the government-required content: the USMCA profession, detailed professional duties, credential statement, and compliance language. Reported denials repeatedly involve applicants who brought only an offer letter or contract. Bring the offer letter too if you have one — as a companion document — but the support letter is the document the officer evaluates.
Can the support letter be for a part-time position?
Yes. USCIS lists the requirement as a prearranged full-time or part-time job (USCIS). The letter must still state the length of stay and the pay arrangements, and part-time hours should be spelled out (e.g., approximately 20 hours per week).
Do I still need a support letter if my employer files Form I-129 with USCIS instead?
That route uses a different document set. When the employer files Form I-129 on behalf of a Canadian outside the U.S., USCIS decides the petition — and if approved, the worker presents the USCIS approval notice plus supporting documents to a CBP officer at the port of entry for admission. (USCIS) The border support letter is the document for the port-of-entry route, not the I-129 route. (For the routes compared, see our guide to TN visa processing time.)
Does the letter need my salary and exact start and end dates?
Yes — both are required items. "Arrangements for pay" is on the State Department's list, and "length of stay" is on both the USCIS and State Department lists. The letter should give a concrete employment period (from [date] to [date]) and the compensation terms. A reported CBP checklist likewise lists salary/benefits and duration of employment as document checks. A letter asking for "three years" with no dates is a common, fixable flaw.
Last reviewed: October 2026