IN THIS GUIDE · What to ask when a staffing firm, not the client, makes the offer
Start with the TN eligibility and application overview
Identify the employer and the entity receiving the services
A TN applicant may be employed by a U.S. or foreign employer and may provide services to a third-party client, but the letter must come from the entity that actually employs her and must describe the specific professional engagement. If the agency is the employer, its letter should name the client, the project, the duration and the accounting work involved, and should explain the agency's control over her employment. A letter that merely states she will be placed with clients as needed does not describe prearranged professional activities.
Ask the agency three questions before anything is drafted
First, who pays her and who has the right to end her employment, because that entity is the employer. Second, whether the client engagement is defined, with a start, an end and a scope, because open-ended staffing is harder to present as a prearranged professional role. Third, whether the agency has previously supported TN applications and what its standard letter says, because a template written for another profession will not describe accounting. The answers decide whether the case is ready or whether the arrangement should be restructured.
Make the accounting work visible in the letter
The letter should describe the financial statements she will prepare, the reporting standards she will apply, the reconciliations and controls she will design and the audit interactions she will handle. It should state her salary, the temporary nature of the assignment and that she meets the listing through her CPA designation, with the certificate attached. If she will also supervise client staff, that should be disclosed, since incidental supervision does not change the professional nature of the work but concealment would undermine the file.
Confirm the filing route and the family's status
As a Canadian citizen she may apply at a port of entry with the letter and supporting documents or the employer may file Form I-129; no visa stamp is needed. Her spouse and children under 21 may accompany in TD status, which permits study but not work. If her spouse intends to work, that is a separate application in his own right.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-07. This guide covers a preparation focus; it is not an individual eligibility assessment.