October 16, 2008 — Effective today, the US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) is increasing the period of time Trade-NAFTA (TN) professional workers can be granted TN status from one year to three years. Under the new rule, TN workers may now be granted an initial admission period of three years and may also obtain extensions of stay in increments of up to three years. The maximum period of stay of NAFTA dependent (TD) spouses and unmarried minor children has been increased from one year to three years. This new rule does not grant individuals in TD status permission to work.
The TN nonimmigrant classification permits qualified Canadian and Mexican citizens to obtain temporary entry into the United States to engage in certain professional activities that require at least a bachelor's degree or appropriate credentials demonstrating status as a professional. TN-qualified occupations are specified in Annex 1603 of the NAFTA and in Department of Homeland Security regulations. The list includes accountants, computer systems analysts, economists, graphic designers, engineers, and mathematicians/statisticians, among others. (For a complete list of qualified occupations see http://www.nafta-sec-alena.org/DefaultSite/index_e.aspx?DetailID=167#Ap1603.D.1
The increase in the maximum period of stay for TN workers is expected to reduce the cost and inconvenience of having to apply annually for an extension, which may now be done only once every three years. It is also expected to provide US businesses with a more stable and predictable workforce
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