TN Visa- Can I get one at Shannon/Dublin (Ireland) POE?

[choufleur20]

Hi Everyone

I found this board looking for info on applying for a TN visa and all the answers seem really helpful so I thought I would see if you could help me out...?

I am a Canadian Citizen but I am currently living in the UK, and just about to finish my Veterinary degree.

I have been offered a 12 month temporary Internship working as a Veterinarian in California, starting July 2009.

So my questions are:

1. Can I apply at Shannon/Dublin (Ireland) POE for a TN visa, it seems easier being denied in Ireland which is slightly closer and cheaper if that did happen to me.

2. Which are the best organisations (have read about WES?)to use to get proof of the official "equivalence" between a DVM (which is what is on the list of approved qualifications for NAFTA) and my BVM&S (which is what I am going to graduate with and is a known exact equivalent to a DVM)?

3. Is it worth getting a lawyer to help me sort out the paperwork or is it pretty easy to do myself? (It is a temporary job, I have Canadian Citizenship, I just need to get my degree certified to be the same as a DVM basically)

Any pointers would be great!!
Thanks

[Reba]

No need for a lawyer, just make sure your offer of employment letter is kosher and that you have your degree equivalency with you when you apply.

See the www.TNVisaExpert.com website for full details.

Really not sure if Shannon or Dublin would know what to do with a TN though, as TNs are specifically a North America thing and not available to Europeans or Brits. You might want to call ahead to find out if they can/will process it there, or if you'd have to do a connection somewhere in Canada on the way to Cali.

[Steven]

Any Class A POE can do TN-1. They all have the same manual. I think all pre-clearance POEs are Class A, have a look on the CBP website (or give them a call, their phone number is on the CBP website for Dublin.)

Phone them up and give them fair warning, you can ask for the person you spoke to when you get to the airport.

TN-1 paperwork is pretty straightforward, I can't imagine frankly there is a lawyer in the UK who would have a clue about it so it sounds like a waste of time to me. There are tons of "TN-1 kit" websites but frankly you're better off just looking up 8 CFR 214.6 and reading the law, because that is what you have to comply with.

Vets usually aren't a problem provided they're convinced by your degree.

[Mike11]

Hi

I am currently on TN in California. I got it at LAX and the lady at the desk couldnt have been nicer. It was so easy.

I tried to renew this last month at Dublin Airport and they said they dont do it there!!! so be warned! they said they dont have that facilitity and the lady was absolutely rude!!

I got a quote of 3,000 dollars from a lawyer to help me. God knows where they come up with that figure. there was no paper work to be done, just a job offer and transcipts was all i needed.

Good luck mate but dont make the Dublin mistake!

ms

[Steven]

I thought all airport inspection posts were Class A, by definition they can't be B or C because they have to deal with non-immigrant aliens. If they deal with people on I-94W then it has to be Class A.

So if they said that to you then they're not doing their job properly, at least going by what it says in their own documentation. Ireland pre-clearance though might be some weird exception.

[choufleur20]

Thank you all so much for your answers so far! They have been really helpful! If anyone has anymore input please just keep posting!!!

[axolotl]

I tried to renew this last month at Dublin Airport and they said they dont do it there!!! so be warned! they said they dont have that facilitity and the lady was absolutely rude!!

You should definitely be able to get a TN at the Dublin or Shannon Airports because, as someone else mentioned, they are both Class A POEs according to CBP. They have to be Class A as they have to handle all foreign nationals. The person you spoke to was clearly misinformed.

To be safe, call the preclearance facility you plan to travel through before you fly to make sure there is someone there who is familiar with TNs and is willing and able to process the paperwork for you.

Dublin Airport: 011-353-1814-4818
Shannon Airport: 011-353-6147-2297

[choufleur20]

So I called Shannon this afternoon, spoke to a nice man who told he wanst sure if they could do TN visas there.... after a wait on the phone he came back and said they could only "renew" them, not do the initial application....This doesnt make any sense in my mind as I thought each new TN visa was a new one, and not a re-application, am I wrong? I am going to call back in a few days and see if someone else anwsers the phone and has a better answer, and as for Dublin, no one anwsered the phone all afternoon so will have to try that again to...