Identify the material uncertainty first. Preparation can help assess actual options, but a paid package cannot establish duties that have not genuinely been agreed.
Define the purpose of the preparation expense
Separate current government charges from professional and document work. Do not treat money already spent as a reason to preserve an inaccurate job description or guarantee eligibility.
Costs vary by how many open questions remain: a credential evaluation, translation, dependent applications, and legal review of a genuinely ambiguous profession match all add scope beyond a straightforward case. Refer to the USCIS fee schedule for the current amounts rather than an older quotation; the I-129 fee and any premium-processing fee apply only if the employer petitions from inside the United States, and the port-of-entry route uses a different, lower charge. A Canadian citizen presenting TN evidence directly at a land port of entry pays a different fee structure than an employer that instead files Form I-129 with USCIS in advance, and either route can carry additional charges depending on how the case is processed. Registration or authorization to practise in the state, official transcripts ordered from a university, criminal record and vulnerable sector checks required for school work, professional liability insurance, and any credential verification the employer insists on each carry their own cost and their own waiting period.