Read the general eligibility basics overview
Hypothetical example: a Stoneham-et-Tewkesbury ski-school director is a Swiss citizen holding Canadian permanent residence, and his wife, a Canadian citizen and hydrologist, has an offer from a Montana water-resources consultancy. Her Canadian citizenship and the listed Hydrologist profession point her toward TN; his permanent-resident card gives him nothing under TN because TN requires Canadian or Mexican citizenship. His Swiss nationality, however, is a treaty nationality for E-2 purposes if the current State Department list confirms it, which opens a route for him that has nothing to do with Canada.
Record each passport before discussing any job
The household holds one Canadian passport and one Swiss passport together with a Canadian permanent-resident card, and every U.S. route reads those facts differently. TN looks only at citizenship: she qualifies, he does not, and no length of Canadian residence changes that. E-2 looks at treaty nationality: Switzerland's treaty relationship with the United States is the fact to verify on the State Department's current list, and if confirmed he could invest in and direct a U.S. business on his own nationality. If he naturalizes as a Canadian later, his options widen, but the review starts with the passports as they are today and with the date any citizenship application was filed.
Build her TN case on the Hydrologist entry
Hydrologist is listed in Appendix 2 with a baccalaureate as the qualification, so her degree transcript and diploma are the core evidence, along with the consultancy's letter describing hydrological modelling, field measurement and reporting rather than generic environmental consulting. As a Canadian citizen she may apply at a port of entry or preclearance location without a visa stamp, or the employer may file a petition. Her file is independent of her husband's; his permanent-resident status is irrelevant to it, and the offer letter should not mention him at all. Disclose any consulting business she owns, since ownership is a fact the file must state.
Decide whether he accompanies as TD or arrives on his own route
As her spouse he could hold TD status, which allows study but not work, so his ski-school career would stop at the border. If he wants to work, TD is the wrong tool. An E-2 case on his Swiss nationality would require him to invest substantially in a real U.S. business he develops and directs, perhaps a ski-instruction or guiding company, with funds traced from lawful sources; that is a different file with its own evidence and consular process. Alternatively, a U.S. employer could sponsor him under a category open to any nationality. Whichever route he takes, plan the arrival so that he does not begin working in TD status while his own case is pending.
What else is on your mind?
Does Canadian permanent residence give me access to TN?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?Editorial source review: 2026-09-07. General preparation guidance, not an individual assessment.