IN THIS GUIDE · Establish who the employer really is before anything else
Start with the TN eligibility and application overview
Ask who employs, who supervises and who pays
Hypothetical example: a Conception Bay South occupational therapist is recruited by a company that contracts to supply therapy services to skilled nursing facilities, and she would work at two of them. Get the answers in writing: which entity signs the employment agreement, which sets her caseload and schedule, which issues pay, which supervises her clinically, and how long each placement lasts. A structure that reads clearly on paper can be presented clearly; one that nobody can describe cannot.
TN does not authorise self-employment
An arrangement in which the therapist incorporates and invoices for services, or works as an independent contractor to several facilities, is not prearranged employment with an American employer and falls outside what TN permits. This matters because contractor structures are common in therapy staffing and are sometimes proposed as a convenience. If that is what is on offer, the honest response is that TN does not fit it, and the alternatives should be examined rather than the arrangement being described differently.
The credential and the state licence are separate questions
The Appendix 2 entry for Occupational Therapist is satisfied by a baccalaureate or licenciatura degree, or by a state or provincial licence. Practising in an American state additionally requires that state's licence, which is obtained from its board on its own timetable and typically requires verification from the Canadian regulator and examination records. The TN qualification and the practice licence are different requirements and both must be satisfied, so both should be started early and tracked separately.
Citizenship, temporariness and the record you bring
TN is for Canadian and Mexican citizens; Canadian permanent residence does not qualify anyone. A Canadian citizen presents at a land border, preclearance or port of entry with a passport and the supporting file, and no visa is issued. The employment must be temporary in nature although it may be renewed. Bring a file organised so that the employer relationship is the first thing an officer can see, because that is the question a multi-site placement will attract.
The hotel manager profession has its own credential rule
Avoid assuming years of relevant work experience substitute for a required degree field, since that substitution is not available for every profession and depends on the specific requirement being reviewed. What does not work is experience alone: an accounting manager without a qualifying degree or designation cannot rely on tenure, because the Accountant entry, unlike some others on the list, offers no experience alternative.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-07. This guide covers a preparation focus; it is not an individual eligibility assessment.