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CALIXA-LAVALLÉE · L-1A FIELD GUIDE

Does nonprofit status remove the need to budget official charges?

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THE DIRECT ANSWER

Do not assume it removes all charges. Confirm the current fees applicable to the actual organization and process, separately from professional preparation and operating costs.

Define the individual preparation scope

Ask whether the review includes organizational relationships, employment history and actual leadership duties. A grant budget or internal approval to spend does not establish eligibility or determine the complete immigration cost.

The Form I-129 filing fee, the fraud-prevention fee, any asylum program fee applicable to the employer’s size, and optional premium processing, all at the amounts on the USCIS fee schedule, plus the cost of preparing the corporate and employment evidence. Separate the government filing charges, published on the USCIS fee schedule, from legal fees, from the cost of forming the U.S. entity, and from the facility's own start-up budget. A cost allocation alone does not prove that the proposed primarily managerial or executive role is supported, and it is separate from official immigration charges. Budget the filing route, evidence preparation, translations, and any new-office premises; consult the fee schedule rather than reusing an old invoice. The larger costs are usually the closing documents, translations and the professional time to prepare the file.