No. Compensation does not replace actual duties and qualifications.
Separate valuation from eligibility
The employer may value the role highly without establishing its TN fit. Preparation costs and salary figures should not substitute for the relevant evidence.
Costs depend entirely on which route, if any, fits the spouse's circumstances, and can include separate legal review, filing fees for the spouse's own application, and possibly credential evaluation. Prepare a written budget with separate lines for official government charges, credential evaluation if the profession requires it, translations, document retrieval, professional advice, and travel. Employers commonly cover costs tied to the principal's professional entry and stop there; dependent costs then fall to the household, and a family that assumed otherwise learns it after committing. The government charges depend on whether the classification is requested at a port of entry or by employer petition, and current amounts should be read from the USCIS fee schedule rather than quoted from memory. State board examination, licensing and background-check charges are practice-related costs set by the state and are separate from the USCIS fee schedule.