The immigration charges are modest and are published in the USCIS fee schedule, Form G-1055, with a fee collected at the port for an in-person application and the Form I-129 fee where an employer petitions instead. The larger and less expected expense is usually state professional registration.
Budget the licence, not just the border
Applying in person as a Canadian citizen is inexpensive at the moment of decision, and where the employer prefers to petition, Form I-129 carries its own fee with premium processing available as an option. Those figures change periodically, so the fee schedule is the only source worth relying on rather than a number quoted by an acquaintance. Around them sit costs that catch people out.
Registration by comity with a state surveying board can involve an application fee, a credentials evaluation, official transcripts sent directly by the university, and a state-specific examination with its own charge and its own study period. Documents not in English require complete certified translations. If Priya travels before the duty description has been corrected and is refused, the second attempt costs the travel again and answers for the first.
It is worth pricing the professional registration path before the salary negotiation closes, because the employer is often willing to carry it once asked.
- USCIS: TN NAFTA Professionals
- U.S. Department of State: USMCA professional workers
- Department of State: 9 FAM 402.17, TN and TD guidance
- eCFR: 8 CFR 214.6, Citizens of Canada or Mexico seeking temporary entry as business persons
- USTR: Agreement between the United States, Mexico and Canada
- USCIS: Form G-1055, Fee Schedule