Read the general professional work overview
Use the offer as a starting record, then identify what the proposed TN evidence must explain more fully. Comparing versions before accepting relocation commitments helps reveal unanswered questions about the work. A consistent file cannot establish eligibility if the position or qualifications do not meet the category requirements.
Create a terms comparison
Put the offer and proposed support letter alongside each other. Compare the legal employer name, duties, compensation, intended work period and location. Note omissions separately from contradictions: an abbreviated offer may omit detail without contradicting it. Ask the employer to clarify unresolved terms rather than filling gaps with your own assumptions.
Name the owner of each clarification
The hiring manager may be best placed to explain duties, while HR controls the signed offer. Record who can confirm each point and when a corrected document will be available. For example, if a draft describes responsibilities that were never discussed, return it for review before treating those responsibilities as agreed facts.
Keep the decision record separate
Retain the final signed documents and an internal note of what remains unresolved. The comparison is a preparation tool, not an official application form. Have the actual profession and credential fit assessed independently. Do not allow a cleanly formatted set of papers to create confidence in a role that has not been substantively reviewed.
Read the letter for what it must establish
A support letter is not a character reference; it exists to let a reviewing officer connect the offer to the category’s requirements. Read the draft asking whether a stranger could identify, from the letter alone, the listed profession relied upon, the professional duties the position involves, the qualification the applicant holds that matches that profession, the arrangement’s temporary nature and the identity of the U.S. employer. Where the letter asserts a conclusion — that the role is professional, that the candidate is qualified — look for the underlying facts that would support it. Marketing language about the company’s growth generally occupies space without advancing any of these points, and a shorter letter addressing each requirement directly is usually more useful than a longer one that does not.
Decide in advance how to handle an inaccurate draft
Employers sometimes produce a letter that overstates duties, invents a qualification requirement to fit a category, or describes seniority the role does not carry. Agree beforehand that inaccuracies will be corrected rather than tolerated, because the applicant is the person who will be asked about them. Return the draft with specific queries attached to specific sentences instead of a general request to revise. Where the company insists on a description the applicant cannot stand behind, that disagreement is a substantive finding about whether the position fits, not a drafting dispute. Keep every version received. If the role itself changes during the discussion, the comparison should begin again rather than continue against the earlier offer.
What else is on your mind?
Is a matching job title enough for TN?Can years of experience replace a degree for TN?Can my own U.S. company employ me under TN?Can my spouse work if I hold TN status?Editorial source review: 2026-09-07. General preparation guidance, not an individual assessment.