IN THIS GUIDE · The offer letter is the deciding document; read it against the profession list
Start with the TN eligibility and application overview
Where it goes wrong: the letter describes two jobs
An officer reads the offer letter to decide whether the position is professional employment in the listed occupation. When the letter spends three paragraphs on agronomic advice and one on quota and commission, the officer has to decide which is the substance. Sales incidental to professional advice can be part of an agronomist's job; a sales territory with professional advice as a selling tool is a sales job. The employer should describe the position as it truly is, and if the truth is a sales role, TN under Agriculturist is the wrong route, however good the degree. Asking the employer to delete the sales paragraph without changing the job is the mistake to avoid.
Where it goes wrong: the degree title does not match the profession
The listed credential for Agriculturist is a baccalaureate or licenciatura degree, and officers check that the field of the degree is related to the profession. A bachelor's in agronomy, agricultural science or plant science reads naturally against Agriculturist; a bachelor's in business with a minor in agriculture does not. Present the diploma as printed, the transcript showing the program, and a certified translation. If the degree was earned outside Canada, Mexico or the United States, the regulation requires a credential evaluation from a reliable service, which should be obtained before the port-of-entry trip, not requested afterward.
Where it goes wrong: the arrangement looks like self-employment
A field agronomist paid on commission through her own consulting company, or holding an ownership interest in the U.S. dealership that distributes the seed, raises the self-employment bar. TN requires prearranged employment with an employer; an applicant who owns or controls the U.S. entity she works for is treated as self-employed and not admissible in TN. The letter should show a genuine employer paying a salary, even if part is variable, and any ownership in the seed company or its dealers should be disclosed and, if it is controlling, dealt with before choosing this route.
What the corrected letter must still contain
Once the job is described truthfully, the letter should state the employer's name and address, the professional title and duties, the period requested up to three years, the salary and how any variable pay works, and the statement that the applicant holds the required degree. Canadian citizenship is proved with the passport at the border; a PR card is not a substitute. Canadians may apply at the port of entry, or the employer may file Form I-129 in advance; both use the same letter. Keep a copy of what was presented and record the admission period granted.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-07. This guide covers a preparation focus; it is not an individual eligibility assessment.