No blanket exemption follows from the absence of wages. The activity and arrangement need assessment. TN eligibility still involves Canadian or Mexican citizenship, a listed profession and its credentials, qualifying prearranged work and temporary entry. Do not begin simply because the offer says volunteer.
Ask what the person will actually do
An honorary title with no duties differs from a scheduled appointment producing professional deliverables. Describe the arrangement without collapsing those situations into one rule. The answer should address this role and this applicant’s location and status, not a generic assurance about unpaid work.
Each listed profession names its own credential and, in some cases, alternatives such as a post-secondary diploma combined with a defined period of experience. Identify where the awarding institution is located and which qualification supports the listed profession. Explain the actual engagement instead of inferring the listed profession from a large compensation package. Engineer is a listed profession with its own meaning and its own credential rule, and borrowing it for systems-analysis work invites a comparison the file will lose. An applicant who arranges the port-of-entry visit before the state licence issues may be admitted yet unable to work, or may be told by the employer that onboarding cannot begin.