Period of Stay Increased for TN Workers
- Immigration News
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has increased the maximum
period of time a Trade-NAFTA (TN) professional worker from Canada or Mexico may remain in the United States before seeking readmission or obtaining an extension of stay. The initial period of admission for TN workers has been updated from one to three years.
Who Qualifies
The eligible TN non-immigrants may now be allowed to receive extensions of stay in increments of up to three years instead of the prior maximum period of stay of one year. The TN non-immigrant classification is visa category available to eligible citizens of Mexico and Canada with at least a bachelor’s degree or appropriate professional credentials who work in certain qualified fields pursuant to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) which include amongst others, accountants, engineers, attorneys, pharmacists, scientists, and teachers.
Benefits
This change should result in lower administrative overheads and reduce the costs on TN workers. The U.S. employers will also benefit as the amount of time TN non-immigrants will be able to work for them before having to seek an extension of status is increased. Spouses and unmarried minor children of TN non-immigrants in their corresponding non-immigrant classifications will also benefit from the new regulation.
