Ask for a scoped assessment before paying for a full application package. The work may involve reviewing corporate governance, employment terms, and the professional category, not merely drafting a letter. Government filing charges should be identified separately once a viable route is selected; payment cannot resolve substantive ineligibility.
Identify the cost of a decision, not just a filing
Request clarity on whether the quote covers reviewing ownership documents, discussing factual uncertainties, and advising on alternatives if TN is unsuitable. Corporate or tax advice may be a separate engagement. Avoid committing to restructuring costs based on an assumed immigration result, and ask who will review any revised agreements.
There is no universal total for this scenario, particularly where the underlying employment arrangement has not yet been finalized. Ask for the scope in writing and check that it names the documents to be reviewed. A quotation referring generally to an ownership review can mean anything; one listing the share register, the shareholders agreement, the articles, the employment contract and any side letters can be tested against what is delivered.
Ask specifically whether the fee includes advising on alternatives should TN prove unsuitable, since that advice is the most valuable output when ownership is genuinely problematic and the most commonly excluded. Request that the assessment be delivered in writing with its date and its assumptions stated, so it remains usable if the structure changes. Government filing charges belong to a later stage and should be identified separately once a viable route is chosen, because no payment resolves a substantive ineligibility.