What is a visa ?

Updated Mar. 24, 2026Refreshed annually
The TN visa is a nonimmigrant visa issued for work. Nonimmigrant visas are admitted for people who intend to stay in the US temporarily. TN visas accounted for 0.14% of all issued visas in FY 2024.
In FY 2024,

15.7K

visas issued by the US were TN visas
In FY 2024,

0.14%

of visas issued were TN visas
A visa is an official document the federal government issues to allow a foreign national to travel to a port of entry and request permission to enter for a specific purpose. While a visa does not guarantee entry, it indicates that the person has met the requirements for the type of visit they are requesting.
Visas don’t include permanent residency cards or applications for asylee or refugee status.

The TN visa is a nonimmigrant visa that allows Canadian and Mexican citizens to work temporarily in specific US professions under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Applicants must have a valid job offer, meet the necessary qualifications for their profession, and demonstrate intent to return to their home country. Canadian citizens may apply directly at a US port of entry, while Mexican citizens must apply at a US embassy or consulate in advance. The TN visa is issued for an initial period of up to three years and can be renewed indefinitely, with no annual cap on the number of visas issued.

The length of stay for a TN visa is up to three years, with the possibility of unlimited renewals, provided the visa holder continues to meet the requirements and maintains their non-immigrant intent.

What type of visa is a TN visa?

Visas are issued for one of five reasons: work, tourism/business, education, family, and safety. The TN visa is a work visa, which allows a foreign national to enter the US for work in a specific job or occupation.
Work visas make up 9.9% of all visas.

In 2024, 9.9% of all visas issued were for work.

Visas issued by type, 2024

How many TN visas are issued?

The State Department issued 15,672 TN visas in 2024. That was up 64.1% from the 9,548 issued in 2013, the earliest year of available data.
Overall issued visas fell 68% during the pandemic, from 8.7 million in 2019 to 2.8 million in 2021. By 2023, totals had returned to above pre-pandemic levels.

The State Department does not maintain a cap on TN visas.

The US issued 15,700 TN visas in 2024, up 64.1% from 2013.

Total TN visas issued, 2013–2024

Of all applications processed for TN visas in 2024, 57.4% were accepted. That acceptance rate was down from a peak of 90.5% in 2020.

Across the whole State Department, visas are accepted at a rate of 77%. Visas might be denied for a variety of reasons, including if the applicant:

  • Is deemed ineligible for the category
  • Has a communicable disease or any illness that could pose a threat to safety
  • Has been convicted of certain crimes
  • Has been previously removed from the US
  • Is a practicing polygamist
  • Submitted an incomplete application

TN visa applications were less likely to be accepted compared to all visas in 2024.

Visa acceptance rate, TN visas and all visas, 2013–2024

Who comes to the US on a TN visa?

For the 28th straight year, more TN visa recipients came from Mexico than any other country in 2024 — the country’s 15,600 recipients made up 99.7% of total visas issued. The next-highest populations came from Canada (42.0 or 0.27%) and Algeria (0.0 or 0%).

The countries with the most TN visa recipients overall were:

  1. Mexico (15,630)
  2. Canada (42)
  3. Algeria (0)
  4. Angola (0)
  5. Benin (0)

In 2024, the most TN visa recipients were from Mexico.

TN visas issued by recipient’s home country, 2024

The countries with the highest number of TN visa recipients compared to their overall population were:

  1. Mexico (0.1 per 1,000 people)
  2. Canada (0.001)
  3. Algeria (0)
  4. Angola (0)
  5. Benin (0)
Overall, people from 2 different countries and territories received TN visas.

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Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.

Page sources

USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.