An expectation is not a completed qualification. The relevant profession’s rule and the institution’s actual records must support the applicant’s eligibility at the required stage.
Resolve completion before promising a start
Ask the school what has been completed and what remains. Do not backdate an employer account or describe a pending course as passed merely to preserve an offer date.
Check citizenship, the Appendix 2 to Annex 16-A profession, its credential, and when that credential will exist. TN requires proof that the applicant is a Canadian or Mexican citizen; Canadian permanent residence is insufficient. It also requires professional activity arranged in advance within a USMCA-listed profession for a U.S. employer or a foreign employer, plus that profession’s own minimum credential. A degree cannot satisfy a degree requirement before completion. Compare the offer duties with the listed profession, request the academic record, and delay the application or start if the credential is unavailable. The recurrent mistake is treating an employer’s flexibility as power to waive the occupational standard. TN also bars self-employment.
Hypothetical example: A Russell civil-engineering graduate is a Canadian citizen with an offer to review drainage designs for an American consulting firm. One required course ends after the proposed reporting day. The applicant should obtain the university’s completion timeline and ask the firm to revise its letter and start date, rather than characterize the course as finished. When the degree evidence is ready, a Canadian may apply at a port of entry or the employer may file Form I-129; either route still needs an employer letter or contract describing the professional engagement.