What is a TN Visa Interview?
As mentioned above, TN interviews are only needed for those applying for a TN visa at a legal port of entry to the United States. All Canadian and Mexican citizens applying for a TN at a port of entry must undergo an interview with a U.S. immigration officer.
The TN interview establishes your eligibility for a TN visa. Regardless of the TN job category you are applying for, U.S. immigration officers will ask you several questions related to your application in order to accept or deny your entry into the country. Questions could be about previous trips into the U.S., past U.S. visas, criminal background, or anything related to your TN application like the nature of your work and your qualifications. Based on whether your new employer meets the TN visa qualifications and your interview, an immigration officer will then determine whether or not to approve of your TN application.
Regardless of your new U.S. employer’s TN eligibility, your visa interview at the port of entry could make or break your application and it’s important to be know what to expect. We’ve broken the common types of TN visa interview questions into the 5 categories you see below. If you have any other questions about what to expect during your interview, feel free to send us a message! We have a quick contact form below that you can fill out so we know how to reach you.
Five
Questions about your role
Most questions will fall under this category. Questions can include anything related to your day-to-day responsibilities and specifics about your job title.
This is also where border officers may probe to see whether the TN job category you are applying for truly fits with your job duties. For instance, you may be asked questions like “will you be programming at your new job?” for a role in the Computer Systems Analyst category. In this case, the answer should be no.
Questions about your company
Border officers often ask about your new employer. It is also not uncommon for them to visit your company’s website to get a better understanding of the firm. Make sure you review the company website, have a strong understanding of what your new employer does, and can clearly explain it in a few sentences.
Questions about your education and qualifications
Each job category has minimum requirements for you to be qualified. Most commonly these qualifications are in the form of educational degrees. If your area of study doesn’t match with your job category, expect more questioning here. You may want to bring a transcript or additional certifications to prove your qualification for a job category.
Questions about immigration intent
A TN Visa is a non-immigrant visa meant for temporary stay, meaning you have no intention of permanently staying in the U.S. Border officers will often ask questions about your immigration intent to make a TN visa is the right fit for you. Showing any intent of moving permanently to the U.S. while being a TN visa holder will likely result in a denied application.
Sometimes, border officers may call your new employer and ask them to confirm the details of the job offer and role. Make sure a knowledgeable representative from your new company is available to speak on the phone during the time you will be applying at the port of entry.
Miscellaneous questions
Depending on the way you previous questions were answered, or the conversations you might’ve had with the border officer, follow-up questions may arise.
To avoid being asked questions you may feel less prepared for, answer all questions truthfully and concisely. Never lie to the border officers but only answer exactly what they are asking for. The more you ramble, the more questions they may have about a specific detail you just mentioned which could catch you off-guard.
Now that you have a strong understanding of what types of questions to expect during your TN visa interview, we’ve compiled a list of commonly-asked questions for you to prepare for.
Full list of Common TN Visa Interview Questions
Job-specific questions:
- What is your job title?
- What are your job duties?
- When will you start working?
- How many other people in the company have your role?
- How much will you be compensated for this job?
- How does your role fit the chosen TN category?
- What are your responsibilities and how much time will you spend doing each?
- Walk me through a typical workday.
Company-specific questions:
- Tell me about your company.
- What is your company called?
- What does your company do?
- How many employees does your company have?
Education-specific and qualification-specific questions:
- What kind of courses are relevant for your current role?
- Walk me through your resume.
- What qualifications do you have for the position you were hired for?
- How does your degree relate to your job and/or TN category?
Immigration intent-specific questions:
- How long will you be working in the U.S.?
- Do you know anyone else in the U.S.?
- Will your U.S. company sponsor you for a green card?
- Are you hoping to live in the U.S.?
- Will anyone (children, spouse) accompany you?
Miscellaneous questions:
- What exactly is [job duty]?
- Will you be managing others?
- Who will you be reporting to?
- Where will you be staying in the US?
- Is this your first TN?
- Have you held other U.S. visas before?
- Have you been denied a U.S. visa in the past?
TN Visa Interview FAQs
TN visas continue to be processed at this time. We’ve recently shared one of our TN visa application experiences during COVID-19 on a separate post.
TN Visa interviews at a port of entry can be as quick as 20 minutes or take over 3 hours. It really depends on which port of entry you are at, the time of day, how many border officers are working, and much more. However, most of this time is usually spent waiting for your border officer to review your application or waiting for a decision after your TN interview.
To be safe, allocate 3 or 4 hours for the TN interview. It’s hard to predict how long the TN Visa interview will take, so give yourself extra time in case it’s needed. This is especially important if you plan to apply for your visa at an airport.
This depends on how busy the point of entry is while you’re there. Sometimes 2 or 3 officers may review your TN application together, but it’s most common to have only 1.
No, your dependents cannot legally work in the U.S. if you are on a TN visa. Your children or partner can join you in the country, but they cannot legally work in the U.S.
Similar to a job interview, first impressions matter. While there is no need to wear formal clothing, dressing neatly can have a lasting first impression on the TN border officer reviewing your application.
The documents you’ll need to provide to the border officer may vary depending on your nationality. For Canadian citizens, you’ll need:
• Proof of Canadian citizenship;
• Letter from your new employer containing information like the professional capacity in which you will work in the United States, the purpose of your employment, the duration of stay, and relevant educational qualifications; and
• Any applicable credentials evaluation
• A $56 USD application fee paid via credit card or cash
Visit the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) page on TN visas for more information about documents to bring to your TN visa interview.