Its purpose depends on the actual agreement. Do not relabel compensation as reimbursement unless that is what the terms provide.
Separate the household cash flows
List government and professional charges alongside the employer’s actual promised payments. Ask about repayment obligations before treating the entire bonus as money permanently available.
At a port of entry or preclearance facility the government charge is collected on the spot and is modest; if the employer files Form I-129 instead, the filing fee and any premium processing appear in the USCIS fee schedule, Form G-1055. Check official fee instructions for the chosen procedure rather than treating wages, a credential evaluation, travel, or an onboarding course as an immigration charge. Beyond government fees, budget for a credential evaluation if the transcript is unusual, for an adviser's time to review the employer letter, and for translations if any document is not in English. Government fees differ between a port-of-entry application by a Canadian citizen and an employer petition, and current amounts should be checked against the published USCIS fee schedule rather than a figure quoted from a previous case. On the immigration side, expect legal review, possible credential evaluation and translation, and route-dependent government fees to confirm against current published amounts. Agree with the employer who covers the identified review and preparation costs, then verify any applicable government charge for the procedure actually needed.