IN THIS GUIDE · An animal scientist whose degree field and contract form both need checking
Start with the TN eligibility and application overview
Ask the employer to state, in the letter, which listed profession the job is
The support letter should name the profession the way the list names it and then describe duties that plainly belong to it: ration formulation, feed analysis interpretation, intake and performance troubleshooting, protocol design for client operations. A letter that calls Wendy a technical services manager and leaves an officer to infer the profession invites refusal. She should ask who will sign it, whether that person has authority, and whether the company has previously supported an application in this role. If the answer is that nobody has thought about it, that is the moment to involve a lawyer, not the week before travel.
Ask what the degree parchment and the transcript actually say
The profession carries its own credential rule, and the officer reads the credential against it rather than against the applicant's career. Wendy should pull her parchment and an official transcript and look at them as a stranger would. If the parchment reads agricultural science and the transcript shows a concentrated animal nutrition stream, the file should present both together, with the university's own calendar description of the program if it helps. Where a degree comes from an institution outside Canada, Mexico or the United States, a reliable credential evaluation is needed. Documents not in English require complete certified translations.
Ask whether she will be an employee or a contractor, and get it in writing
TN does not permit self-employment in the United States. A retainer paid to Wendy's own numbered company, with her setting her own hours and invoicing monthly, reads as exactly what the category prohibits, however genuine the work. The fix is structural and belongs in the negotiation: a salaried position with a named supervisor, a U.S. employer that directs the work, and no ownership stake in the U.S. entity receiving her services. If she does hold or acquire any stake, it must be disclosed and examined. Ask the lawyer to review the draft agreement, not the job posting.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-07. This guide covers a preparation focus; it is not an individual eligibility assessment.