Read the general professional work overview
Hypothetical example: a Paradise graphic designer with a two-year design diploma is offered a position by a U.S. marketing agency. The Appendix 2 line for Graphic Designer accepts a baccalaureate degree or a post-secondary diploma plus three years of experience, so her file depends on experience letters that are specific, dated and from the employers themselves. The support letter must describe design work, she must be a Canadian citizen, and the agency must be the employer that directs her. Assemble the experience evidence first, because it is the part the officer will spend the most time on.
Collect the experience letters before anything else
In the hypothetical above, she has worked for two Paradise-area firms and freelanced for a year. Each employer should provide a letter on letterhead, signed by someone with authority, stating her start and end dates, her title and the design work she performed: branding, layout, digital assets, whatever is true. The freelance year is harder; client invoices, contracts and a statement from her accountant can document it, but a full year of self-employment counted toward the three should be explained carefully and supported with several client confirmations. The three years must follow the diploma and should total comfortably more than thirty-six months so that a disputed period does not sink the file. Letters written by the U.S. agency that is hiring her do not count as experience evidence.
Make the support letter match the profession's line
The agency's letter should name the position Graphic Designer, describe design duties in terms an officer can match to the profession, state the salary, the requested period of up to three years, the reporting line and the fact that the position is temporary. It should not describe her as a marketing coordinator, content creator or account manager, because those are not listed professions even when a designer performs some of that work. If the agency will place her at client sites, the letter should explain that the agency directs and pays her. Any ownership she holds in a design business connected to the work must be disclosed, and TN does not permit self-employment in the United States.
Order the file for a port-of-entry reading
Passport first, because citizenship is the threshold. Then the support letter. Then the diploma and transcript. Then the experience letters in chronological order with a one-page summary table showing employer, dates and months counted. Then the freelance evidence as a separate tab with its own summary. Include the Appendix 2 line for Graphic Designer with the diploma-plus-experience alternative highlighted, and the fee-schedule entry for the port-of-entry application. Leave out portfolio samples unless the officer asks; they add bulk without answering any of the four questions. She may apply at a port of entry or a preclearance location, or the agency may file Form I-129 first if a written decision is preferred before she gives notice. Whichever route, resign after the admission or the approval, not after the offer.
What else is on your mind?
Is a matching job title enough for TN?Can years of experience replace a degree for TN?Can my own U.S. company employ me under TN?Can my spouse work if I hold TN status?Editorial source review: 2026-09-07. General preparation guidance, not an individual assessment.