The government charge collected at the border is modest, and the current figures for any petition route appear in the USCIS fee schedule, Form G-1055. The larger and less visible costs are the credential documents, certified translations, professional review of the job description, and the expense of a second attempt if the first is refused.
Budget for the evidence and for the possibility of a second attempt
Presenting at a port of entry is inexpensive at the moment of decision, and an employer that prefers to file Form I-129 pays the petition fee, with premium processing available where speed matters; because the schedule is revised periodically, Form G-1055 is the only figure worth quoting. Around those amounts sit costs that are easy to overlook. A sealed transcript ordered from a university takes time and a fee.
A professional regulator's letter of standing may take longer. Certified translations are required for anything not in English, and they are priced by the page. A review of the offer letter before travel usually costs less than the consequences of a refusal, because a refused application is recorded and every later crossing answers for it.
Travel to a port of entry before the start date is settled is money spent twice.
- USCIS: TN NAFTA Professionals
- U.S. Department of State: USMCA professional workers
- Department of State: 9 FAM 402.17, TN and TD guidance
- eCFR: 8 CFR 214.6, Citizens of Canada or Mexico seeking temporary entry as business persons
- eCFR: 8 CFR 103.2, submission and adjudication of benefit requests
- USCIS: Form G-1055, Fee Schedule