Read the general eligibility basics overview
A Clarence-Rockland household may include one partner who has been a Canadian citizen since birth, including one raised across the Ontario-Quebec border, and another partner who currently holds only a Canadian open work permit and has not yet obtained permanent residence. Each person's own citizenship and status determines which U.S. routes are available to them individually; one partner's Canadian citizenship does not extend TN eligibility, or any other route's citizenship requirement, to the other partner.
Confirm each partner's actual documents
Hypothetical example: one partner has held Canadian citizenship from birth and grew up attending school in both Ontario and Quebec; the other partner currently holds a Canadian work permit and has not yet applied for permanent residence. Record each partner's actual current status rather than assuming that living together in Canada for years has given both of them the same status.
Assess each partner's U.S. options on their own citizenship
TN eligibility depends on the individual applicant's own Canadian or Mexican citizenship; a partner without that citizenship needs a different basis for any U.S. route, evaluated on their own facts, such as their own citizenship, employment or investment circumstances. Do not assume a shared household or a partner's TN offer creates any status for the other partner beyond an eligible dependent category, if one applies.
Keep the Canadian immigration process on its own track
If one partner's Canadian permanent residence or citizenship application is still in progress, confirm what stage it has reached and what it currently requires, and keep that process moving independently of any U.S. plan, since a U.S. move does not resolve or replace it.
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.