TN visa symbol meaning.

What TN means in 22 CFR 41.12

Section 41.12 of Title 22 of the Code of Federal Regulations is titled “Classification symbols”. It opens: “A nonimmigrant visa issued to an applicant within one of the classes described in this section shall bear an appropriate visa symbol to show its classification. The symbol shall be inserted in the space provided on the visa.” Table 1 to that section then lists each symbol with its class and the section of law. The row for TN is:

The statute behind the symbol

The “section of law” column points to the Immigration and Nationality Act. Most rows in Table 1 cite INA 101(a)(15), codified at 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15). The TN and TD rows cite a different section, INA 214(e)(1), codified at 8 U.S.C. 1184(e)(1).

Unlike most rows in this part of Table 1, the TN row does not cite INA 101(a)(15). It cites INA 214(e)(1), which is codified at 8 U.S.C. 1184(e)(1). That paragraph reads:

“An alien who is a citizen of Canada or Mexico, and the spouse and children of any such alien if accompanying or following to join such alien, who seeks to enter the United States under and pursuant to the provisions of Section D of Annex 16–A of the USMCA (as defined in section 4502 of title 19) to engage in business activities at a professional level as provided for in such Annex, may be admitted for such purpose under regulations of the Attorney General promulgated after consultation with the Secretaries of State and Labor.”

Source: INA 214(e)(1); 8 U.S.C. 1184(e)(1)

“For purposes of this chapter, including the issuance of entry documents and the application of subsection (b), such alien shall be treated as if seeking classification, or classifiable, as a nonimmigrant under section 1101(a)(15) of this title.”

Source: INA 214(e)(1); 8 U.S.C. 1184(e)(1)

Reading the TN row against its neighbours

The TN row and the TD row (Spouse or Child of TN) both cite INA 214(e)(1). The statute covers “a citizen of Canada or Mexico” and, in the same sentence, “the spouse and children of any such alien if accompanying or following to join such alien”. The statute defines “citizen of Mexico” by reference to “article 16.1 of the USMCA”.

The second sentence quoted above is the link back to the main definition. It says that for purposes of the chapter the alien “shall be treated as if seeking classification, or classifiable, as a nonimmigrant under section 1101(a)(15) of this title”. That is why TN appears in a table of nonimmigrant classification symbols even though its section of law is not in 101(a)(15).

The text refers to Section D of Annex 16-A of the USMCA and to “business activities at a professional level as provided for in such Annex”. This page did not read the Annex, so it does not list the professions or say what a TN holder may do. The statute says admission is “under regulations of the Attorney General promulgated after consultation with the Secretaries of State and Labor”.

What this page does not tell you

A visa symbol is a label. Table 1 says what each class is called and where the classification comes from in law. It says nothing about who qualifies, what evidence is needed, how long anyone may stay, whether work is allowed or what an application costs. Those answers sit in other regulations and in agency guidance and they change, so use the lookup above to read the label and then take the question to the State Department’s visa pages (travel.state.gov, which blocked automated reading on November 2, 2026, so we have not cited its contents) or a licensed immigration attorney.

For other codes seen on immigration paperwork, see the EAD category code lookup, which covers a different code set, and the I-94 number format checker.

• L2 visa symbol meaning: L2, another symbol with a separate family row in Table 1.

Sources

Sources opened and read November 2, 2026.

• eCFR: 22 CFR 41.12 Classification symbols, Table 1 (current text; last amended 2023-09-12 per the eCFR version history) (read November 2, 2026)
• eCFR renderer API, the same section as machine-readable text (read November 2, 2026)
• Cornell Legal Information Institute: 8 U.S.C. 1101, definitions, subsection (a)(15) (read November 2, 2026)
• Cornell Legal Information Institute: 8 U.S.C. 1184, admission of nonimmigrants, subsection (e) (read November 2, 2026)