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CLARINGTON · L-1B FIELD GUIDE

Will a project change create another filing fee?

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THE DIRECT ANSWER

It may, if the change requires a new or amended filing or other immigration action. A commercial change does not automatically determine which fees apply; the legal review must first identify the necessary procedure.

Budget from the revised facts

Separate contract renegotiation, immigration review, government charges, optional premium processing and relocation changes. Ask whether dependent applications are also affected. Reusing an existing petition solely to avoid fees is not an appropriate substitute for determining whether it still covers the work.

The employer should understand the revised scope before requesting a complete estimate. Budget from the revised facts rather than from the original quote, since what a change costs depends entirely on what changed. Some changes require no action and cost nothing.

Others may require an amended or new filing, which carries its own government charges and preparation, and the assessment of which applies is itself a piece of work. Ask counsel to advise on the consequence before assuming either outcome, and treat the assessment as the first item rather than an overhead. Where the project has changed more than once, expect the review to be more involved, since the file has to be reconciled against a moving description.

Verify any government charge against the actual petitioner and filing type at the time it arises rather than reusing an earlier figure.