The individual route involves a Form I-129 filing fee and associated surcharges on the USCIS schedule, plus optional premium processing, paid by the petitioner; the blanket route uses Form I-129S with its own fee. The difference is modest compared with the cost of a refused blanket application.
Pay for the right petition once
The government charges for an individual petition are set out on Form G-1055: the Form I-129 fee, the fraud-prevention and, where applicable, other surcharges, and premium processing if the parent wants a decision within the published window. Under the blanket, the Form I-129S has a separate fee and a Canadian citizen presents it at the port of entry, which is cheaper and faster when it applies. Here it does not, and the false economy of trying it is a refusal on his record that the individual petition must then address, plus a lost mobilization date.
The petitioner pays the government fees; premium processing can be paid by either party. Beyond fees, budget for the technical statement and the evidence assembly, which may take engineering time at the Canadian plant, and for his U.S. salary and any relocation.
Consultation and legal fees are separate. Keep the U.S. plant as the payer of record, since it is the employer named in the petition.