Read the general professional work overview
Hypothetical example: Hamish designs lakeside houses from a small studio in Trent Lakes and has been asked to join an American practice working on shoreline residential projects. Architect appears in USMCA Appendix 2, and its entry is met by a baccalaureate degree or by a state or provincial licence. He has an enormous portfolio, a strong reputation and, as it turns out, a degree from a programme whose name does not obviously match the profession. The portfolio will not answer that question and the transcript might.
The entry names a credential, so start by reading the entry
Each listed profession carries its own qualification rule and they are not interchangeable. The Architect entry accepts a baccalaureate degree or a state or provincial licence, which gives Hamish two possible routes and one immediate task: establish which of them he can actually evidence. A degree in a related design discipline is not automatically a degree in architecture, and where the parchment is ambiguous the transcript, the programme description and any accreditation record become the operative documents. Provincial licensure resolves the question outright where it exists. Working out which route applies is the first hour of work, and doing it before an offer letter is drafted saves rewriting the letter afterwards.
The letter has to describe architecture, in the words the list uses
A support letter that praises design sensibility proves nothing an adjudicator can use. It should give the American practice's legal name, identify Hamish and his Canadian citizenship, state the profession using the wording from the list, and then describe the work concretely: schematic design for waterfront residences, construction documentation, code and shoreline setback review, coordination with consulting engineers, and construction administration. Add the salary, the reporting relationship and the period requested, which cannot exceed three years. If the practice intends him to work under the responsibility of a registered architect while his own state registration is pending, the letter should say so directly. Vagueness reads as concealment even when nothing is being concealed.
Registration to practise is a separate matter with its own timetable
State architectural registration boards decide who may offer architectural services, stamp drawings and use the professional title within their jurisdiction, and immigration status has no bearing on that decision. Hamish should open the registration file early, because credential evaluation, documentation of experience and examination requirements take time and are outside the practice's control. Two related cautions apply. He cannot practise in the United States for his own account, since self-employment is outside the classification, so his Ontario studio's American work has to be structured as services to a U.S. entity that controls it. And any equity in the American practice must be disclosed and examined, because a controlling interest looks like working for himself.
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.