A reliable foreign-credential evaluation is required for degrees from institutions outside Canada, Mexico and the United States. Identify the credential and proposed professional category before ordering additional services; this rule should not be generalized to every certificate.
Ask what question the evaluation must answer
Bring the diploma, transcript and any existing evaluation rather than ordering replacements immediately. Record where the qualification was awarded and whether a name change affects the documents. Ask the reviewer which service, if any, would resolve the specific gap, whether translations are also needed, and who will bear that cost. Keep this evidence budget separate from government charges and travel. A paid report does not guarantee that the occupation or the applicant meets TN requirements. For the engineer category, the listed qualification permits a baccalaureate or licenciatura degree or a state or provincial licence. Assess any separate U.S. practice-licensing requirement as well.
Costs vary by how many open questions remain: a credential evaluation, translation, dependent applications, and legal review of a genuinely ambiguous profession match all add scope beyond a straightforward case. Refer to the USCIS fee schedule for the current amounts rather than an older quotation; the I-129 fee and any premium-processing fee apply only if the employer petitions from inside the United States, and the port-of-entry route uses a different, lower charge.