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APPLICATION ANSWERS · TN FIELD GUIDE

Granby: Should the original degree be edited to show the institution’s current name?

Sources checked:

THE DIRECT ANSWER

No. Preserve the original and explain the name history with reliable supporting records. An explanatory cover note should not be presented as a newly issued degree.

Maintain a traceable document history

Identify the issuing name, award date and source that links later names. Keep transcripts and evaluations consistent with the actual record. For a USCIS submission, foreign-language documents require the applicable complete English translation with the translator’s certification of accuracy, completeness and competence. A translation should reproduce the original faithfully, not silently substitute a different institution.

The first review should build a dated index linking each source record to the fact it establishes. Hypothetical example: a cartographer whose institute later merged must decide which document or sequence actually resolves the issue before relying on a desired outcome. A complete record should show the fact, its source, and what remains prospective. A TN request is limited to citizens of Canada or Mexico and also needs listed professional activity, the required qualifications, and a permissible employment arrangement. Review the evidence in that order, then decide whether to proceed, obtain a missing record, or change the plan. A generic letter, private payment, future chart, or travel reservation fails when it is used to prove a condition it does not establish.

The review outcome should identify the next document or action and state why an unsupported shortcut would fail. Keep the final presentation tied to the facts actually established, not to a hoped-for conclusion.

Record that decision in writing before relying on it.