IN THIS GUIDE · Fix the title on the offer before it is signed, because the duties and the profession must match
Start with the TN eligibility and application overview
Rename the job to what it is, then describe it honestly
The developer's actual work is analysing the client's business requirements, designing system changes and specifying them for implementation, with coding as one part. That is systems analysis. Ask the employer to title the position Computer Systems Analyst and to describe the requirements-gathering, design and specification duties in the support letter, with coding mentioned as a component. Do not ask the employer to invent duties she will not perform; an officer who later finds her doing pure programming under a systems-analyst admission has a misrepresentation question, not a paperwork one. Before changing a title, compare the daily task list with the treaty profession and retain the employer’s earlier draft; the comparison shows that the final description reflects work, rather than a label selected for admission.
Prove the diploma-plus-experience route with dated letters
She holds a two-year college diploma in computer studies rather than a degree, so the credential line is satisfied by the diploma plus three years of experience. Experience is proven by letters from previous employers on letterhead stating dates, title and duties, and by her Canadian employer's record of the five remote years. The letters should predate the offer, describe analysis work rather than only development, and total at least three years after the diploma. A résumé is not evidence; a letter is. A first review should place every claimed month on a timeline, match it to a letter and identify who can correct a missing duty description before the application is prepared.
Keep the employment relationship simple
Because she has been the client's day-to-day contact, the temptation is to structure the move as a contract through her own corporation. TN does not allow self-employment in the United States. Whether a corporation she controls makes the arrangement self-employment depends on all the facts; it may be treated as such if she will in substance be working for herself. Direct employment by the U.S. client is the clearest structure on these facts. If she keeps any ownership in a business connected to the work, disclose it in the letter. The employment agreement, payroll arrangement and supervision record should all name the same employer. A side contract that gives the applicant independent control can undermine an otherwise ordinary offer.
Sequence the resignation after the admission
She is a Canadian citizen, so she can apply at a port of entry or a preclearance location with the letter, diploma, experience letters and passport, or the employer can file Form I-129 first. Fees are on the USCIS fee schedule. In either case she should keep her Canadian job until the TN admission or the approval notice exists, because the offer is not the permission. TD status for her husband and daughter permits residence and study, not work, which is why the family route question on this site precedes hers. A travel date is a planning date, not authority to begin work. Keep copies of the admission record and the support letter because later renewals must describe the same professional arrangement accurately.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-07. This guide covers a preparation focus; it is not an individual eligibility assessment.