The affiliate must show it can support the position, and the specialist must remain employed by the company group, but the petition does not impose a prevailing-wage requirement. Government fees are those listed in the USCIS fee schedule for Form I-129.
Budget the fees, then settle the payroll structure
L-1B has no labour-condition or prevailing-wage filing, so the salary question is mainly a business and tax matter: whether the specialist stays on Canadian payroll with a secondment agreement, moves to the affiliate's payroll or is paid by both. Whichever is chosen, the affiliate must demonstrate the capacity to support the role, and the specialist must continue to work for the group. The immigration budget itself covers the Form I-129 fee, any asylum program fee based on the petitioner's size, the fraud-prevention fee applicable to L petitions and optional premium processing, all set out in the USCIS fee schedule. Professional fees for preparing the specialized-knowledge evidence are usually the largest single item because that evidence takes time to assemble. Household relocation costs are separate and should be negotiated with the employer in writing before the transfer date is fixed.
Hypothetical example: a precision-irrigation controller developer sends its Canadian systems specialist to train a U.S. affiliate. The company should price the petition, potential premium processing, confidential-document preparation, relocation, payroll, tax advice and the U.S. staff time required for knowledge transfer. The assignment letter should say which entity supervises and pays the specialist and whether the Canadian team will backfill the foreign role. That record is commercially useful and immigration-relevant: it shows the transfer is a defined specialized assignment. It should also state an anticipated end date that fits the five-year L-1B maximum rather than assuming extensions are unlimited.