L-1B does not impose a universal recruitment test.
Budget for the actual evidence question
Identify relevant knowledge and assignment records before commissioning extensive narratives. Separate current government charges and professional scope from business hiring and training expenditure.
Government fees are published on the fee schedule and include the base I-129 fee, the fraud prevention and detection fee, an asylum program fee that depends on employer size, and optional premium processing. A large commercial expense may explain the employer’s investment in an employee, but it does not replace the knowledge standard, qualifying foreign employment or corporate relationship. Check the published fee schedule for current amounts and any optional faster-adjudication charge, then set beside it a realistic estimate of the hours needed to produce contemporaneous documents, translations and a truthful account of staffing depth. Ask counsel whether a request for evidence is covered and whether the quote includes a later extension, since specialized-knowledge cases attract questions. Ask what the adviser's scope covers if the disclosure boundary forces a rewrite, and what happens if the intended placement raises an offsite question that changes the plan.