Read the general professional work overview
Hypothetical example: an instructor in a technical program at a college in Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures is offered a teaching post at a U.S. community college. The Appendix 2 entry for teachers at the college, seminary or university level requires a baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree; no licence substitutes, and years in the classroom do not either. Her file therefore turns on one document, the degree, and on a letter from the U.S. college that describes teaching duties rather than program coordination.
Find the entry, then find the document it names
Read the Appendix 2 line for Teacher, which is limited to the college, seminary and university levels and asks for a baccalaureate or Licenciatura degree. That single document is the qualification. A Québec diploma of college studies, a teaching certificate or a professional-order membership does not stand in for it, however relevant it is to the job. If her bachelor's degree is in the technical discipline she teaches, the transcript is enough; if her highest credential is a technical diploma plus experience, the entry is not met and the review should say so plainly rather than search for a different label. Order a sealed transcript now, because the registrar's timeline is the longest lead item in the file.
Make the U.S. college describe teaching
The community college's letter must set out the position, the duties, the duration and the pay, and it must describe a teacher. If the offer is really to coordinate a program, manage adjunct staff and teach one section, the duties describe an administrator, and TN does not have an entry for that. Ask the dean for a duty breakdown by hours before the letter is drafted. Confirm that the college itself is the employer; a staffing agency placing instructors would change who arranges the work and needs disclosing. Note that the instructor cannot be self-employed in the United States under TN, so a side consultancy she planned to run from there is a separate question.
Sequence the presentation and the household
As a Canadian citizen she may present the file at a port of entry or the college may file Form I-129 with USCIS. Either way the same test applies, and she should not resign her Québec post until the status exists. Her spouse, if accompanying in TD status, may not work; a spouse who is a nurse or an engineer should be assessed for a TN entry of his own rather than travelling as a dependant who cannot practise. Children in TD may attend school. Put the college's semester start, the transcript's arrival, the letter's signature and the household's decisions on one page and let the last item dictate the first.
What else is on your mind?
Is a matching job title enough for TN?Can years of experience replace a degree for TN?Can my own U.S. company employ me under TN?Can my spouse work if I hold TN status?Editorial source review: 2026-09-07. General preparation guidance, not an individual assessment.