Wages are an operating cost, not automatically part of committed capital, so treat them separately in the budget. What matters is that capital is substantial relative to the enterprise's cost, genuinely committed and at risk, and that the business can support the payroll it promises. No universal minimum amount applies.
Separate business spending from case preparation
Ask the adviser to itemize immigration-preparation charges apart from business expenditure, and to review how each business outlay is actually treated rather than assuming every professional fee is excluded. Confirm current government charges at the time of the relevant step; no fee figure should be quoted from memory. A hypothetical reader budgeting for two machine operators and a supervisor should also hold a reserve — an example of prudence, not a legal requirement.
Substantiality compares the amount invested with the total cost of establishing the enterprise, and commitment looks at whether the funds are beyond recall. Build one column for the enterprise—purchase price, inventory, equipment, premises, staffing reserve—and another for preparing and presenting the case. Make a sources-and-uses schedule identifying who owns each dollar, when it becomes irrevocably committed and at risk, and which lease, inventory, equipment, or operating obligation it satisfies.