The port-of-entry route carries a modest fee collected at the border, while the petition route carries a USCIS filing fee. Current amounts should be read from the USCIS fee schedule, Form G-1055, rather than from any figure quoted second-hand.
Budget the fees, but budget the credential work too
Government fees for this classification are among the lowest in the employment categories, and they are published. The USCIS fee schedule, Form G-1055, is the authoritative list for petition filings, and it changes, so it should be checked at the time of filing rather than relied on from memory. The costs that actually surprise applicants are elsewhere. Restoring a lapsed professional registration takes time and money. A credential evaluation, where one is needed because the profession requires a degree obtained outside Canada, is a separate expense. Legal assistance, if the duties or the ownership picture require judgement, is a further cost. And an unsuccessful attempt at a port of entry has its own price in rebooked travel and a delayed start date, which is the argument some applicants find persuasive for filing a petition instead.
Hypothetical example: Noor, a Canadian dietitian, has an offer from a rehabilitation centre in Colorado. Her first budget should separate government charges from costs that determine whether she can start: credential assessment if needed, professional registration, travel for an inspection interview, and the employer's revisions to its supporting letter. She should obtain written estimates before choosing a border application or an employer-filed I-129 petition. A cheaper first attempt is not economical if a missing record postpones the start date. The governing point remains that the work must be prearranged professional-level activity in a listed profession for a U.S. or foreign employer, not a way to continue a personally controlled practice across the border. Paying a consultant or a filing fee does not cure a role that is substantively self-employment.