Ask the institution what its reimbursement policy covers if the grant or appointment falls through. Distinguish approved document expenses, professional advice and relocation deposits. A reimbursement promise should identify its conditions; it does not establish immigration eligibility or guarantee the appointment.
Record spending authority before commissioning services
Keep written approval and itemised receipts for expenses the institution agrees to cover. Ask whether reimbursement depends on joining payroll. If it does, an applicant whose appointment never starts may bear those costs unless the agreement provides otherwise.
Verify the terms before assuming recovery. The mechanism that produces an unrecoverable bill is almost always the same: a service is commissioned verbally, the approval is confirmed afterwards, and the appointment ends before payroll begins. Reverse those first two steps.
Ask for the approval in writing, naming the service, the supplier and the ceiling, before the order goes out, and keep that confirmation with the invoice rather than in a message thread. Hypothetical example: a pharmacist authorises a rushed credential evaluation on a coordinator's spoken assurance, and the finance office later declines it because the file never reached the stage its policy requires. Separate the money spent once and not recoverable, such as evaluations, translations and courier charges, from the money still ahead of you.
It is the first group that has to be timed against the funding condition.