Describing two phases does not itself establish whether one immigration step will cover both. Ask counsel to review the employment structure and dates before estimating filings or fees. Budget separately for document preparation and any required language translation or credential evaluation, and confirm current government charges for the route selected.
Budget for review, not for a second filing
Ask for a quote covering the appointment’s two phases and any changes to the supporting letter. Translation and credential evaluation are separate items. A degree from an institution outside Canada, Mexico and the United States requires a reliable foreign-credential evaluation under the TN rule; language requirements must also be checked. Ask the department which preparation costs it covers.
A university's charge for a duplicate parchment is unrelated to a civil registry's charge for a certificate, and both are separate from translation charges. TN preparation should make the genuine compensation and employment arrangement understandable without treating a converted headline total as proof of professional eligibility. Government charges differ between a port-of-entry application and a Form I-129 petition, and both change over time, so take the numbers from the official schedules on the day of filing rather than from a colleague's experience.