Can TN Visa be used for U.S. Medical Residency / Fellowships ?

The TN visa was created in 1994 under the North American Free Trade Agreement Act (NAFTA) for certain professionals holding citizenships in Canada and Mexico. There are several amazing attributes of the TN visa that make it seem much better than the H1b visa:

1. There is No need for the employer to "sponsor" a TN visa - Canadian citizens get a better deal than Mexican citizens in that an Employer needs to provide a Labor Certification for hiring a Mexican citizen, but not for a Canadian Citizen, who only need a letter of Employment.
2. Canadian Citizens do not need to goto visa consulates - they can simply show up at the US port of Entry to have a TN visa stamped, along with supporting Documents.
3. TN visa can be indefinitely extended by one year increments
4. No annual limits on the number of TN visas, at least for Canadian Citizens.

SO, I must apologize then, if I raised expectations here, because the TN visa is granted for Canadian & Mexican IMGs ONLY for teaching and research purpose. Clinical Residencies and Fellowships do not qualify for TN visas.

On the other hand, Nurses can and do work on TN visas in US.

Still all is not lost on TN visas for Canadian and Mexican IMGs since the TN visa can be of value for taking up US research jobs and saving the 6-Year Time limit on H1b visas exclusively for Residency/Fellowships. Often when a fellowship does not work out in the first attempt, IMGs take a years break doing a research job - a TN visa will again come in handy protecting the H1b years for fellowship use.

Download this PDF brochure from the US Department of Citizen adn Immigration Services that gives information on How to apply for TN visas and also has a list of allowed professions and the type of work allowed under the TN visa.


Q. So What Visa is needed for Canadian Citizens to Do residency / Fellowships in USA ?
A. Canadians are categorized as IMGs for visa purposes and will need the same visas as the rest of the IMG-world - i.e. H1b, J1 / J2 , O1 or OPT visas.