Denied TN Visa as Economist

Nidemaba

New Member
Hi All,

I was denied TN visa status today at a POE applying under the Economist classification. I was denied after a 2 hour interview at the border. The main three points of contention by the officer was:

1. Job Title in the Letter and job description did not completely match the petition letter. Title in offer was SVP, Economist versus Senior Economist and other small nuances in the JD that didn't sync up.
2. The officer said I was not qualified to be an economist because my undergraduate and masters degrees were not in economics but in business. (To which I replied, the requirement was a baccalaureate in a closely related field which business administration would fall under - but he did not want to hear it)
3. I then asked him to examine my application holistically based on my job experiences functioning in economist roles (without the actual economist title). He said anyone can make up anything on their resume and he needed to see a letter from my previous employer describing my role and qualifications and that I am of good moral character.

On points 1 and 3, I can easily fix. Points 2, my education is my education and there's nothing I can do about that now. I consulted my immigration lawyer who told me to try another POE and with points 1 and 3 fixed. I wanted to get the expert advice from folks here on if that is truly the best path forward. Specifically, I am concerned with the "port shopping" and point 2 aspects.

Thanks so much for your help in advance.
 
It is never a good idea to put an internal job title on the TN letter. TN category and Job task. Period.

You need to PROVE that your degree is closely related, by demonstrating the courses you took were, in your case, economics related. Not as simple
as you stated, obviously.

Your experience does not count towards getting a TN in that category, so asking them to look 'holistically' was a waste of time, and probably irritating. Resume and letter are not part of the application process They must look ONLY at your education.
 
Got it. Thanks for your advice.

I also have an engineering undergraduate degree. My employer is willing to hire me as an engineer but maintain a subset of the other previous contemplated duties. Would you recommend I reapply as an engineer at a different POE?
 
CBP would see through that artifice, Economist suddenly morphs to Engineer?. They have your original petition. And port-shopping (ie. looking to get a different POE to look at the same petition) is never wise. Next visit, expect issues with SVP titke as well, since that is getting into managerial role, which is forbidden on TN.
 
Top