IN THIS GUIDE · A registered nurse whose licence, not her degree, decides the assignment
Start with the TN eligibility and application overview
The licence is the qualification, and it is granted state by state
Appendix 2 lists Registered Nurse and accepts a state or provincial licence, or a Licenciatura degree, as the qualification. Séverine's Ontario registration is a provincial licence, which answers the credential half of the question. It does not let her practise anywhere in the United States. Nursing is regulated by each state board, and the position she has been offered cannot lawfully be performed without whatever that board requires: verification of her Canadian credential, an examination record, an English-language requirement, or endorsement from another jurisdiction. Boards move on their own timetable. She should open the licensing file first and treat the immigration step as the shorter of the two, because a request to see the licence for the state of intended employment is entirely ordinary.
Who employs her decides more than the agency wants to admit
TN requires prearranged professional work for a U.S. employer or under contract to a U.S. entity, and it does not permit self-employment in the United States. The agency arrangement has to be described plainly: whether Séverine is the agency's employee placed at the hospital, the hospital's employee introduced by the agency, or an independent contractor invoicing through a corporation of her own. The last of those is the version that fails, and it is the one recruiters most often propose because it is administratively easy. The letter she presents should name the entity that controls her work, the supervising manager, the unit, the wage and the period requested. Ambiguity about the employer is not a paperwork flaw; it is a question about eligibility.
Citizenship, the period requested, and the border itself
TN is open to citizens of Canada and Mexico. Permanent residence in Canada qualifies nobody, however long they have lived here, so the first document in the file is a Canadian passport or citizenship certificate rather than a PR card. Canadians are not issued a TN visa stamp; Séverine may apply in person at a port of entry or a pre-clearance location with her evidence in hand, or her employer may file Form I-129 and she can present the approval. Admission is granted for a period not exceeding three years and can be extended, but it is tied to the employment described. If the agency later moves her to a different hospital under a different employer, that is a new question rather than a continuation of the old one.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-08. This guide covers a preparation focus; it is not an individual eligibility assessment.