“I am a Canadian citizen with a BSW trying to move to Nevada on a TN visa as a Social Worker. I'm stuck in a catch-22: Nevada requires an SSN or ITIN to apply for a social work license, but I need TN status to get an SSN, and I need a job offer to get TN status. Employers won't give me a job offer without the license or work authorization. How do I sequence getting a job offer, TN status, SSN, and state licensure when the state requires an SSN first?”
The rules are sequential, not truly circular: federal guidance expressly places state licensure after TN admission. The difficult practical step is finding an employer willing to issue the required genuine, conditional position letter while agreeing that you will not perform social-work duties until Nevada licenses you.
You have two legitimate ways to obtain TN classification after securing the employer letter, while the ITIN-first approach does not solve Nevada’s requirement.
As a Canadian citizen, take the , proof of citizenship, BSW credentials, and any applicable credential evaluation to a designated CBP port of entry or preclearance station. Social Worker is a listed TN profession requiring a baccalaureate or licenciatura degree, and U.S. licensure is a post-entry requirement. (8 CFR 214.6; 9 FAM 402.17-4(B).)
A prospective employer may instead file Form I-129 for a Canadian citizen outside the United States. This may suit an employer that wants advance USCIS adjudication, but it still requires a real prospective job and does not replace Nevada licensure. (USCIS TN NAFTA Professionals.)
Form W-7 is not a licensing-number application: an ITIN is only for federal tax purposes and is unavailable merely to get a professional license. Nevada’s current controlling statute requires an SSN in the application. (Form W-7 Instructions; NRS 641B.206.)
If you are under 21, Nevada cannot issue the LSW license yet because NRS 641B.220 requires an applicant to be at least 21. If you are 21 or older, follow the sequence below.
Neither TN route permits you to perform Nevada social-work duties before the Board issues a full or provisional license.
This order supplies each prerequisite before the agency or employer needs it.
Before or while recruiting
Determine which degree branch applies
If your BSW program is CSWE-accredited or a candidate, arrange for the school to send the official transcript directly to the Nevada Board. If it is not, Nevada requires a through CSWE and, if equivalent, the transcript and CSWE equivalency documents; CSWE’s official submission page presently has an unresolved availability notice. (NRS 641B.204 and 641B.220; NAC 641B.100.)
Requirements
Before TN admission
Obtain a genuine conditional employer letter
Have the employer issue a signed identifying the Social Worker profession, duties, anticipated employment length, your educational qualifications, and remuneration. It should state that employment is conditional on TN admission and that social-work practice will begin only after Nevada issues the required license. (8 CFR 214.6(d)(3)(ii); 9 FAM 402.17-4(B).)
Requirements
After receiving the letter
Request TN classification from CBP
For the direct Canadian route, present the documents at a CBP-designated port of entry or preclearance station. The admission request costs $50; if an I-94 is issued at a land-border port, the federal I-94 fee is $6. Alternatively, the employer may first file Form I-129 with USCIS. (8 CFR 214.6; 8 CFR 103.7(d); USCIS TN NAFTA Professionals.)
Requirements
SSA recommends 10 days after arrival
Apply for your first SSN
Start the request at https://www.ssa.gov/number-card/request-number-first-time, then present the documents at a Social Security office or Card Center within 45 calendar days; the office locator is https://secure.ssa.gov/ICON/main.jsp. The SSN and card are free. Wait until SSA issues the number—an ITIN is not a substitute. (SSA Publication No. 05-10096; Form W-7 Instructions.)
Requirements
After SSA issues the SSN
File the Nevada LSW application
Apply through the Board’s portal at https://services.socwork.nv.gov/lic/app/lsw/. Include the SSN required by NRS 641B.206. The Board lists a $50 application fee and $125 initial-license fee. An incomplete file closes after nine months; once complete, allow 45 days for processing.
Requirements
After Board approval
Register for the Bachelors exam and choose provisional timing
After the Board approves you to test, register with ASWB for the Bachelors exam at https://www.aswb.org/exam/getting-ready-for-the-exam/register-for-the-exam/; registration is $230. If you need to start sooner, request the and pay the additional $93.75: it is valid for 90 days, you must pass within 60 days, and only one exam attempt is allowed on it.
Requirements
Last step
Start social-work duties only after licensure
Do not perform or hold yourself out as performing Nevada social work until the Board issues an active license. After issuance, work only for the employer covered by your TN authorization unless you first obtain authorization for a new employer. (NRS 641B.500; 8 CFR 274a.12(b)(19).)
Requirements
You are not the first to go through this. Here is how it went for others who asked the same thing.
u/love475r/tnvisaJul 27, 2026
u/RelativeParty3422r/tnvisaMar 3, 2026
These conclusions come from federal TN and work-authorization regulations, State Department and USCIS guidance, SSA and IRS instructions, Nevada statutes and Board rules, ASWB, and CSWE.
8 CFR 214.6
The TN rules contemplate an employer letter before admission and list Social Worker as a degree-based TN profession.
(d)(3)(ii); Appendix 2 to Chapter 16
This documentation may be in the form of a letter from the prospective employer(s) in the United States or from the foreign employer, and must be supported by diplomas, degrees or membership in a professional organization. —Social Worker—Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree.
9 FAM 402.17-4(B)
Federal guidance expressly treats U.S. professional licensure as a post-entry state requirement, not a prerequisite to TN admission.
402.17-4(B)
Such requirements for admission or classification as a USMCA professional do not include licensure in the United States. Licensure to practice a given profession in the United States is a post-entry requirement subject to enforcement by the appropriate state or other non-Federal authority. But admission/classification must not be denied based solely on the fact that the applicant does not already hold a license to practice in the United States.
USCIS TN NAFTA Professionals
A Canadian may request TN classification from CBP or have the prospective employer use Form I-129.
Canadian Citizens
If you are a Canadian citizen residing outside the United States, you are not required to apply for a TN visa at a U.S. consulate. You may establish eligibility for TN classification at the time you seek admission to the United States by presenting required documentation to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer at certain CBP-designated U.S. ports of entry or at a designated pre-clearance/pre-flight inspection station. A prospective employer may also file Form I-129, Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker, on behalf of a Canadian citizen who is outside the United States.
8 CFR 274a.12(b)(19)
TN employment authorization is incident to TN status and tied to the specific employer.
(b)(19)
The following classes of aliens are authorized to be employed in the United States by the specific employer and subject to any restrictions described in the section(s) of this chapter indicated as a condition of their parole or of their admission in, or subsequent change to, the designated nonimmigrant classification. (19) A nonimmigrant pursuant to section 214(e) of the Act.
SSA Publication No. 05-10096
SSA explains when and how a work-authorized noncitizen should complete a first SSN request.
Applying for an SSN
We recommend you wait 10 days after arriving in the United States to apply for an SSN. After you submit your online request, you must visit your local Social Security office or card center with your documentation within 45 calendar days. There is no charge for an SSN and card.
NRS 641B.206
Nevada’s current statute requires an SSN in the social-work license application and does not state an ITIN substitute.
641B.206
An applicant for the issuance of a license pursuant to NRS 641B.200 shall include the social security number of the applicant in the application submitted to the Board.
Instructions for Form W-7 (Rev. December 2024)
An ITIN is a federal tax identifier, not a device for bypassing an SSN licensing requirement.
Purpose of Form; Social Security Numbers
An ITIN is for federal tax purposes only. Don’t complete Form W-7 if you have an SSN or you’re eligible to get an SSN.
NRS 641B.204; NRS 641B.220
Nevada sets the age, education, foreign-degree, and examination requirements for an LSW.
641B.204 and 641B.220
An applicant for a license as a social worker must: 1. Be at least 21 years of age; 2. Be a graduate of a college or university with a baccalaureate degree in social work from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education or which is a candidate for such accreditation, or a degree in social work from a foreign college or university approved by the Board pursuant to NRS 641B.204; and 3. Pass an examination prescribed by the Board.
NAC 641B.100; NAC 641B.105
Nevada’s regulations route a non-CSWE degree through CSWE and assign a BSW holder to the Bachelors examination.
641B.100 and 641B.105
An applicant who has received a degree in social work from a program which is not accredited by the Council on Social Work Education must submit his or her educational credentials to the Council on Social Work Education for evaluation. An applicant for licensure as a social worker who holds a baccalaureate degree in social work must pass the examination for the licensure of baccalaureate social workers administered by the Association of Social Work Boards.
Nevada Board Initial LSW Application
The Board’s current application portal provides its fees, processing periods, and provisional-license limits.
Fees; Provisional License; Application Processing
Application Fee: $50.00. Initial License Fee: $125.00. Provisional License Fee: $93.75. The Provisional A license is temporary for 90 days. You must pass the exam within 60 days. Applications not completed within 9 months will be closed. Once your file is complete, please allow 45 days for processing.
ASWB Register for the Exam
Board approval comes before ASWB registration, and the Bachelors exam registration charge is $230.
Register for the exam
First, apply for approval to test through the social work licensing board in the state or province where you would like to be licensed. Once approved, register and pay for the exam through ASWB. Bachelors or Masters Exam Registration: US$230.
CSWE ISWDRES
CSWE’s page contains an outdated service-unavailability notice, leaving current submission access unresolved.
ISWDRES notice
The ISWDRES form submission and payment service is currently unavailable. Please come back after 9:00 AM EDT on September 8, 2026.
8 CFR 103.7(d)(4)(i), (d)(11)
The federal regulation sets the direct TN admission fee and land-border I-94 fee.
(d)(4)(i), (d)(11)
Request for admission to the United States under section 214(e) of the Act—$50. For issuance of Arrival/Departure Record at a land border port-of-entry: $6.
NRS 641B.040; NRS 641B.500
Nevada prohibits unlicensed social-work practice while preserving only narrow statutory exemptions.
641B.040 and 641B.500
It is unlawful for any person to engage in the practice of social work unless the person is licensed pursuant to this chapter. The provisions of this chapter do not apply to certain governmental employees and persons preparing for the profession of social work under supervision in a training institution or facility recognized by the Board.
These are the official rules and instructions as published on the cited dates; immigration, tax, and licensing rules can change.
This is general information about official processes, not legal advice, and SettleKit is not a law firm.
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