The Secret About NAFTA Professional Visas

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) offers Mexican and Canadian professionals the opportunity to work in the United States. The category is known as the “TN visa.” The TN visa, however, has been widely ignored by U.S. businesses because they became accustomed to the more cumbersome H-1B visa, another category for foreign professional workers.

What U.S. businesses don’t know is that the TN offers many advantages over the H-1B visa. For instance, the TN visa includes more professions than the H-1B, and there is no time limit whereas the H-1B can be used for up to six years. Another advantage is a fast track feature for Canadian professionals who can apply for the visa at a U.S. port of entry without going through a U.S. consulate.