First identify whether the change needs only a legal assessment and updated records or requires a new petition, admission process, or other action. Costs follow that decision. A routine worksite move and a new employer should not be priced as though they necessarily involve identical steps.
Ask what the transition quote covers
Request separate figures for reviewing the current status record, preparing new evidence, government charges, travel, and dependent work if needed. Clarify which employer will pay and whether reimbursement depends on joining the new company. Keep any income gap or interrupted benefits in the household budget.
A lower filing cost does not justify starting new work before the required authorization is in place. Budgets built around a TN change usually omit the cost of scope errors rather than the cost of fees. Where work begins under a misread arrangement, unwinding it can mean suspended payroll, a paused project, repeated travel, and renewed scrutiny of facts that had previously been accepted without difficulty.
None of that appears on any fee schedule. Nor does the delay caused by discovering mid-preparation that the proposed duties fall outside the listed occupation. Hypothetical example: a psychologist offered a role blending clinical practice with product design for an employer’s software team may find the professional element is only part of the job, and redesigning the position consumes far more time than any filing charge.