Guide to Obtaining a TN Visa and Social Security Number

The purpose of the border trip is to obtain the following in order:

• • TN Visa
  • Social Security Number

TN VISA

Your TN visa is the first document you need to obtain. The following original documents are required at the border when applying for the TN visa:

• • Employment contract with an employment start date within 2 weeks of this trip
  • Visascreen certificate from CGFNS
  • Canadian Nursing degree certificate or diploma
  • Passport to confirm your Canadian citizenship

BEWARE:

• • Only paper originals are acceptable.
  • Digital copies (carried on a digital device such as your Android phone or a tablet) will not be accepted, and you will not be issued a visa.
  • You must bring ALL four documents (a through d). Failure to present one or more of the listed documents will result in a denial of your visa application.

Upon approval, you will receive a stamp in your passport with a “TN” notation, confirming your TN visa status and your eligibility to work in the US under TN visa status. The expiration date on the stamp is your I-94 or department record, confirming that you are eligible to stay in the US until that date. You are required, without exception, to depart the US before that expiration date. However, even if your eligibility to stay in the US expires on that date, your TN visa might still be valid. In that case, you will be eligible to re-enter the US when bringing proof of current employment, without having to apply for a TN visa again. Once you obtain the TN visa stamp in your passport, you can proceed to the next steps:

SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER

Apply for a Social Security Number at a US Social Security Administration office with the following required documents:

• • TN Visa stamp
  • Passport
  • Birth Certificate
  • SSN application

During your appointment, the Social Security Administration will assign you a number and mail out a pocket card to the address you provided on the application, which you will receive in approximately 2 weeks. Please ensure to ask the administration to provide you with a letter stating the assigned number, signed and dated at the time of your appointment. You will need this letter for fingerprinting. For more information on how to obtain a Social Security Number, click here.