TN1 at Peace Arch - not adjudicating in advance

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In actuality, you are not supposed to be granted TN until you are actually entering to work. As you point out, there is leeway available to the officer, but the Western Division does not give such leeway (as is their right). TN is an entry status, thus you are granted it when entering to work on that status. It sucks, but that is how it is.

You don't need it in advance to work, so why try to piss them off by asking their super to override them. That is a guarantee to be denied as they will fine-comb your petition for every misspelling and typo.

The correct approach was to have the TN letter NOT specify your start date, and to arrange working teleconference with your employers (at a coffee shop across the border). Then you could have truthfully answered "yes" when questioned if you are going to start work now.

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The advice to not piss them offf was related to your "planning to call them today to see if I can find some supervisor or at least someone who specializes in TN1s and ask for advance adjudication."

This will get you nowhere. There si no such thing as advance adjudication. There was a pilot project at Pearson PFI to "pre-screen" papaerwork, much like your officer did, but even that would not lead to granting of TN on that visit.

You simply won't get SSN for several weeks, so what is the differnce for 8 days. Your employer will have to deal with it. Your landlord will have to deal with it. You might want to inform them that a screening that relies on checking a number that will have been issued to you for 10 minutes is not the most secure method in the world.

The letter does not need a start and end date. It needs only be current dated. There is no need to put "immediate" either, since the TN's issued at the border are ALWAYS"immediate", and never post-dated. Thus the officer's query as to when you were starting.

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By "advance adjudication" I meant process the TN at the time when I'm crossing the border but not crossing to go to work."

I know what you meant. I thought I saw a unicorn. neither has ever existed.

I gave you the answer on how to get a TN right away: schedule a telecon

At any rate, these guys have seen you now, you can't unblow the horn. You already blew it. You said (and your letter states) you are starting later, so taht is when you will get your TN: later.
I'm sure you still have other things to do before leaving, why focus on this? have more going away parties instead.

Hi there,

I am also in the same position (but L1A status instead of TN1). My start date is August 1 and I wanted to get my work permit 2 weeks in advance in a POE close to my place. Apparently, the rule has changed recently. In the past, we were allowed to just cross the border, get the work permit and come back after about an hour. I wanted to go to Fort Erie, close to my place instead of the 4 hr drive to Port Huron, to get my L1A visa but my corporate expert told me that to cross the border, you have the tell them "I'm crossing to go to work." That's when they will process your application.

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They remember, trust me.