A recent change in visa processing allows Mexican TN visa applicants to receive a five-year visa. Before this change, Mexican citizens were issued a visa valid for only one year. This policy change allows Mexican TN visa holders to avoid the yearly trip to the US consulate to renew their visas.
TN visas are available to Mexican and Canadian citizens who are offered employment in the United States in one of the sixty occupations listed in the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (“USMCA” formerly known as NAFTA). Mexican citizens seeking TN status must apply for a visa at a US consulate abroad. Canadians are exempt from the visa requirement. They may skip the consulate and request TN visa status at a US port of entry.
Mexican citizens wishing to obtain a five-year TN visa must prepare a non-immigrant visa application and make an appointment at a US consulate abroad for a visa interview. At the visa interview, the applicant must present the consul with:
- Evidence of Mexican citizenship (usually a passport),
- The academic qualification for the occupation as listed in the USMCA, and
- An offer of qualifying employment or continuation of previously offered qualifying employment in the United States for more than one year.
The job offer may be for “at will” employment without a termination date and a note from the employer anticipating the need for the TN worker’s services for more than five years. Finally, Mexican TN applicants seeking a five-year visa must pay a $384 reciprocity fee.
Finally, it bears noting that the holder of a five-year TN visa is not permitted to remain in the US for five years. US Customs and Border Protection will permit a TN visa holder to remain in the US for three years or the period of validity of the visa, whichever is shorter.
