Review the offer, reimbursement terms and any applicable legal obligations. Interim housing, income gaps and changed travel can affect the budget, but who bears them cannot be decided from TN status alone. Ask the employer to confirm its commitments in writing before committing to those expenses.
Put the gap on the table before accepting
Ask whether compensation, a stipend, or relocation support begins on hire or on clearance, and what happens if the condition takes longer than projected. Immigration costs are separate again: legal review, credential documents, and whatever the route requires. Confirm current fees directly, and get any reimbursement conditions in writing rather than relying on an intention described in conversation.
The dangerous shortcut is paying a recruiter who implies that its test fee guarantees status or permits work.
Obtain the appropriate contract advice where needed and budget from the terms that actually apply. Budget for the second attempt as well as the first, because a refusal already noted is the most expensive item on this list. A professional credential can lapse on its own schedule regardless of why a start date has slipped, so confirm who covers any renewal, continuing-education, or maintenance fee needed to keep that credential active while the delay continues. Ask whether the credential must simply remain current or must be freshly verified again closer to the eventual start date, since the second scenario can mean paying for verification twice. Get that maintenance obligation assigned in writing rather than assuming either side will absorb it by default. Raise the question before the credential's own deadline arrives, not after a lapse has already occurred.