The published sequence is application and payment of the nonrefundable processing fee, then vetting, then the gift to the U.S. government, with the case proceeding under an existing employment-based immigrant classification. Confirm the current order and figures on the official page before acting, because the framework has already been revised.
The order is the protection
Sequence is the part of this framework that most protects an applicant, and it is worth understanding before the first payment. Vetting sits between the fee and the gift, so the large irrevocable payment is not the opening move. A household should therefore treat completion of vetting as a scheduled decision point, with advice taken again at that moment rather than only at the start.
Two timing risks deserve naming. The first is a framework that continues to change, which means terms relied on at the beginning may not be the terms in force later; re-reading the official material at each step is not excessive caution but basic practice. The second is pressure from intermediaries to move quickly, which is rarely in the applicant's interest where the payment cannot be recovered.
Aurélie should also ask how the underlying classification's own processing timelines interact with the programme's, since the eventual grant of status follows those processes rather than replacing them.