Government charges are the Form I-129 filing fee, the asylum program fee and the fraud prevention and detection fee as listed on USCIS Form G-1055, plus optional premium processing. Legal and document costs depend on how much of the corporate record has to be reconstructed.
Budget for the record, not just the filing
Read the current amounts from Form G-1055 rather than from a prior petition, because fees change and small-employer reductions have conditions. The petition itself is a single filing, but the preparation around it is where cost varies. If the closing binder is complete and the payroll records are clean, professional time is modest.
If the acquisition ran through a holding company that was never properly minuted, or if the U.S. plant’s records are the seller’s and must be re-papered, counsel and accountants will spend hours building the ownership chain and the doing-business evidence. Add certified translations only if any document is in a language other than English; New Brunswick records in French must be translated in full with a certification.
Consider whether premium processing is worth the fee given the plant’s need for a manager on site. Finally, plan for the extension petitions that will be needed to reach the seven-year maximum, each with its own fee.