For a hypothetical Trois-Rivières graphic designer using the diploma-or-certificate TN route, a portfolio can illustrate design work while the credential and three years of experience require their own support. Do not ask one document to prove everything. For Canadians, the route is a port-of-entry request or employer-filed Form I-129 with no TN visa stamp; TD dependants may study but not work. Hypothetical example: A Trois-Rivières museum-display fabricator has a qualifying credential but project records held by several former employers. The immediate decision is which credential route is actually used and which record proves each claimed experience period.
Identify the route before collecting references
Graphic Designer is listed with a baccalaureate or licenciatura route, or a qualifying postsecondary diploma or certificate plus three years of experience. Verify the defined institution and program conditions. Do not impose the experience alternative on every degree holder or treat an informal course certificate as automatically qualifying. Make a route worksheet before requesting references. It should identify the credential document, the defined requirement it addresses and the separate experience evidence needed, so a reference request does not silently alter the selected route.
Attribute the work accurately
For each period, identify the dates, duties and source able to confirm them. Explain team contributions and concurrent engagements honestly. A polished sample does not establish how long the person worked or whether a proposed reference author knows those facts. Preserve limited confirmations without expanding them into claims their authors did not make. For the fabricator, a dated installation record may confirm delivery while a supervisor explains personal duties. Keep those sources distinct, redact protected information carefully and do not ask one source to attest to facts it cannot know.
Finish with the actual professional arrangement
Match the proposed duties to the profession and confirm Canadian or Mexican citizenship and temporary-entry requirements. Disclose ownership or control of the U.S. receiving enterprise; sole or controlling ownership raises prohibited TN self-employment. For degrees from institutions outside Canada, Mexico and the United States, the regulation requires a reliable foreign-credential evaluation. Keep that degree rule distinct from the defined diploma or certificate question. The final decision is whether the professional arrangement fits the selected entry before travel is arranged. Confirm the receiving entity, proposed duties and any ownership facts; a complete credential file cannot repair a prohibited work arrangement.
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.