Document the position as it actually operates, including any months where hours or duties are reduced outside the shipping season, rather than describing a year-round role that does not match the employer's actual staffing pattern.
Describe the real work pattern, not an idealized one
Ask the employer for the actual seasonal schedule, including any period of reduced hours or temporary reassignment to other duties, and disclose that pattern rather than omitting it. A reviewer comparing the stated position to the listed profession needs an accurate description of recurring duties across the full year, not only the peak-season activity.
Build the record around the whole engagement: the employer letter or contract, start and end dates, weekly schedule, work location, compensation, professional deliverables, and duties during both peak and quiet periods. Reconcile those facts with internal staffing plans so a seasonal reassignment does not contradict the application. The letter should identify the profession in Appendix 2 to Annex 16-A of USMCA and explain how the applicant meets its particular credential rule. Canadians may apply at a port of entry or through Form I-129. The common mistake is documenting only the busiest month and leaving the reviewer to guess what happens afterward.
Hypothetical example: a Clarence-Rockland agricultural economist is contracted by a Canadian grain brokerage to analyze U.S. shipping demand for six months, with reduced hours after harvest. The foreign employer prepares a contract describing the economic forecasts, the American client site, and the off-season reporting work. Payroll records and the project calendar match that account. The package does not characterize warehouse coordination as economics; it separates incidental logistics discussions from the professional analysis that supports the claimed TN profession.