TN Visa and Licensure

K

kevind381

New Member
Hello,

I have a question about licensure. I am a Social Worker in Ontario. I have a Masters in Social Work and want to move to Maine to be with my partner who has 3 years left in dental school. An employer has offered me a job that I can start before being formally registered as a social worker in the state of Maine. Once I would be registered then I would formally start the job (as a registered social worker). What will happen at the Canadian/US border when they see that I am registered social worker in Ontario but not in Maine and am going for a Social Worker position before I am registered? The employer will explain this in detail in the letter that I will be employed as a social worker once I am registered but will start before being formally registered. Will customs deny me until I am registered??

Thank you lots
 
To clarify: Registration in Maine is comprised of writing a test and completing the background. I am applying to write the test but it takes time. This employer will employ me before I have completed the test.
 
Don't confuse "licenciatura" with "license". Licenciatura is simply the Spanish world equivalent to a Bachelor's degree.
A Social worker, like for most TN categories, does not need a license to apply for an get a TN. In fact, a degree is the only accepted requirement under that category.

Of course, you may need a license to practice in a particular jurisdiction, and you and your employer would need to obey those requirements. The granting of a TN does not absolve you of obeying state regulations. An employer will hardly want to keep a professional that is unable to be properly licensed, which would soon kill the TN in any event.

Even for TN categories where the professional must have a license to even get a TN (like Nursing, Psychologist) or it is one of the optional requirements (like Architect, Pharmacist, etc), DHS understands this, and grants the TN, knowing that one could not get the particular license without first having the position. They would of course also look favorably on a license from your current jurisdiction, but that is not a necessity. This doesn't directly apply in your case, but the principle of granting the TN to someone that is otherwise qualified, for the purpose of obtaining the required license to ultimately fill the position is well-established.

Just be sure, in the letter, to explain what you will be doing prior to and after get your license, and that all these duties are closely related to Social work. In other words, you are not going to be doing unrelated clerical work, for example, until you are registered.
 
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