Read the general professional work overview
Hypothetical example: Cyrille is a Canadian citizen and a marine engineer in Richmond County, working on propulsion and auxiliary systems for ferries and workboats. His engineering degree was earned in Belgium and he has never had it assessed in North America, because his employer here hired him on experience. An American naval architecture firm now wants him. Engineer is a listed profession with its own qualification rule, and the paperwork proving he meets it is the part he has never had to assemble.
What the Engineer entry actually asks for
The Appendix 2 entry for Engineer is met by a baccalaureate or licenciatura degree, or by state or provincial licensure. Cyrille holds a foreign degree and no Canadian licence, so the degree is what he must rely on, and a degree awarded outside Canada, Mexico or the United States generally needs a credential evaluation establishing its equivalency to a North American baccalaureate. That evaluation is not a formality to be produced on demand at a counter; it takes weeks, it requires the awarding institution to release records, and it is the single document on which his eligibility rests. Ordering it before an offer is signed is the difference between a delay of days and a delay of months.
The letter has to describe engineering, in the profession's own words
A supporting letter that describes Cyrille as a technical lead for vessel systems says nothing an officer can use. It should name the profession as Appendix 2 states it, then set out engineering work in concrete terms: propulsion train selection and analysis, shafting alignment calculations, auxiliary system design, classification society submissions, review of vendor engineering. It should give the firm's legal name, his Canadian citizenship, the period requested, the salary and the person he reports to. Where the American role also involves sea trials, commissioning attendance or client liaison, saying so honestly is better than omitting it, because a description that has plainly been tidied invites the question of what else was tidied.
What to carry, and what will be asked for at the counter
Cyrille should travel with his Canadian passport, the original supporting letter, the degree parchment and transcript, the credential evaluation, and complete certified English translations of anything in French or Dutch. A curriculum vitae helps only if it agrees with the letter, so the two should be read side by side before departure. Two omissions cause most of the trouble. Applicants bring a photocopy of an evaluation summary rather than the full report, and they bring a transcript without the parchment on the assumption that one implies the other. Where any document is unavailable, it is better to postpone the application than to present an incomplete package and rely on explaining the gap.
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.