Pros and cons of hiring an attorney to apply for TN visa at the Canada-US border crossing?

A

angie7841

New Member
Does anyone have an opinion on or experience with making the decision of whether to hire an attorney for when you would cross the border between Canada and the US and apply for TN visa? It seems like the decision of whether to grant the visa or not largely depends on the mood of the particular border agent. Would it be a good idea to hire an attorney who specializes in TN visas and take them with you to the border crossing? On the one hand, it could help if the agent starts asking trickier questions. On the other one, the agent may see that you brought an attorney and suspect that something is not right with your situation and ask more questions than normally would.

Have you ever hired an attorney for when crossing the border to help with TN visa application? Did you think it helped? Have you heard of anyone regretting the decision?
 
agreed, no need for attorney at port of entry.
the decision is made based on the facts of the case.
they confirm the job description meets the TN requirements.
they confirm you meet the TN requirements and the job requirements.
 
Hi Angie, I brought an attorney one TN application, and have made several other TN applications at various ports without an attorney. I have also visited other ports with an attorney for other reasons.

An attorney generally can't help you on-the-spot with tricky questions.
First off, an attorney obviously cannot go with you to airport clearance.
My understanding is that attorneys are permitted to accompany clients crossing a land border only at the indulgence of the officers.
I have seen that officers will mostly tolerate attorneys when the attorney has a reputation at that POE that the officers appreciate instead of resent. I also heard rumour of one lawyer wearing out his welcome at a POE and no longer being permitted to accompany TN petitioners.

If an officer wants to ask you trick questions, they will tell the attorney to go away anyways.

To answer your question, most of the value an attorney can bring to the TN process is:

1. help your employer draft an offer letter which will meet the officers' expectations
2. prepare you for the process you can expect when crossing.
3. remind you of all the materials you need to bring to support your application

If your application is so iffy that its success depends largely on the mood of the officer, then your money is better spent working on those above pieces.

That said, i would be surprised if bringing a lawyer would create additional suspicion. It would I expect simply be a waste of money.
 
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