Under the diploma-or-certificate route, both the qualifying credential and three years of experience matter. Experience alone does not replace that credential requirement.
Read the credential definition before adding experience
The TN definition of a postsecondary diploma concerns at least two years of postsecondary education at an accredited institution in Canada or the United States. The certificate definition concerns at least two years in Mexico through the specified government or recognized institutional framework. Obtain the actual program evidence and assess it.
A baccalaureate or licenciatura is a separate listed route; do not impose the diploma route’s experience requirement on every applicant. Hypothetical example: A Trois-Rivières museum-exhibit designer presents a two-year college program and freelance contracts from four seasons. The first review should separate the program record from the experience calculation, identify the institution’s accreditation evidence, and assign each claimed period to a dated source.
A transcript or official diploma settles the program question; contracts, invoices and credible confirmations may settle different portions of the work history. Start with the credential route, then count only supported experience. A common failure is treating a polished exhibit portfolio as proof of program length or paid dates.
If the route remains uncertain, obtain the missing school record before asking an employer to shape a letter around an untested conclusion.