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United States of America · Processing time

TN USMCA Professionals (Canada & Mexico): how long does it take?

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USCIS - TN USMCA Professionals does not publish one fixed, route-wide end-to-end processing time that can be stated responsibly for this application route.

How long does the TN USMCA Professionals (Canada & Mexico) take to process in United States?

USCIS - TN USMCA Professionals does not publish a central processing time for this route. Use the current USCIS - TN USMCA Professionals service for the responsible mission, service centre, authority or live processing-time tool before applying.

Source checked against USCIS - TN USMCA Professionals on 10 September 2026.

Typical wait

Not centrally published

from complete application

Government fees

Canadian land-border baseline: USD 50 TN professional request fee plus USD 30 I-94 fee. Mexican TN/TD MRV fee USD 185. Form I-129 E/TN filing: USD 1,015 paper or USD 965 online for standard employers, plus Asylum Program Fee if filed; premium processing is optional at USD 2,965.

Last checked

10 September 2026

Reality vs official timing

Official clock
No central processing clock
Delay trigger
No fixed delay point - use route guidance
Source checked
10 September 2026

USCIS - TN USMCA Professionals does not publish a central processing time. Use the current USCIS - TN USMCA Professionals service for the responsible mission, service centre, authority or live processing-time tool before applying.

What is the TN USMCA Professionals (Canada & Mexico)?

Non-immigrant work visa under USMCA for Canadian and Mexican citizens in listed professions.

The TN visa implements the USMCA (formerly NAFTA) preferential professional categories for Canadian and Mexican citizens. The list of qualifying professions (Appendix 2 to Annex 16-A of the USMCA) includes engineers, scientists, accountants, lawyers, architects, and many healthcare roles. TN is not dual-intent and is not a direct path to permanent residence.

  • Sponsorship: You need a job offer or employer sponsor in United States of America.
  • Settlement: This route does not lead to permanent residence.
  • Typical permit length: Up to 3 years; renewable indefinitely while activity continues.
  • Indicative government fees: Canadian land-border baseline: USD 50 TN professional request fee plus USD 30 I-94 fee. Mexican TN/TD MRV fee USD 185. Form I-129 E/TN filing: USD 1,015 paper or USD 965 online for standard employers, plus Asylum Program Fee if filed; premium processing is optional at USD 2,965.

Priority and fast-track options

The earlier range was removed after an official-source review because it was an editorial estimate, depended on a live/local queue, or combined separate appointment and decision stages.

Official source

USCIS - TN USMCA Professionals

https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/temporary-workers/tn-usmca-professionals

Cite or reuse this dataset

This figure is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Cite the Visa Atlas page for the compiled, dated dataset, and cite the official source for the underlying government rule.

Suggested citation

Visa Atlas, "TN USMCA Professionals (Canada & Mexico) processing time dataset", https://visaatlas.org/processing-times/us/tn. Last checked 10 September 2026.

Page
https://visaatlas.org/processing-times/us/tn
JSON endpoint
https://visaatlas.org/api/public/processing-times

Primary source (1)

Frequently asked questions

How long does the TN USMCA Professionals (Canada & Mexico) take to process?+

USCIS - TN USMCA Professionals does not publish a central processing time for this route. Use the current USCIS - TN USMCA Professionals service for the responsible mission, service centre, authority or live processing-time tool before applying.

When does the Not centrally published clock start?+

Because no central processing time is published, there is no fixed start point. Contact the relevant authority once your application is submitted.

Is there a way to speed up the decision?+

The earlier range was removed after an official-source review because it was an editorial estimate, depended on a live/local queue, or combined separate appointment and decision stages.

What makes an application take longer than expected?+

The most common reasons for delays beyond the published window are: missing or incorrect documents, a request for more information (which pauses the clock until you reply), background or medical checks, and consular appointment backlogs in your country. Submitting a complete, well-organised application on day one is the single biggest thing you can do to stay inside the published window.

When should I treat my TN USMCA Professionals (Canada & Mexico) application as delayed?+

Because no central processing time is published for this route, there is no fixed point at which it counts as late. If your wait runs well beyond comparable cases, a single polite status enquiry through the official channel is reasonable. Duplicate chasing tends to slow a case rather than speed it up.

Next steps

Reviewed by , Editor and lead researcher.