Do not assume a refund. The published US$15,000 per-person processing charge is nonrefundable.
Understand the commitment before paying
Confirm the current official instructions and the evidence question before treating a private assurance as a refund policy. The later gift amounts are separate from processing; document retrieval and professional fees may add private costs without changing official eligibility.
For a corporate case, the official terms also state a 1% yearly maintenance charge and a 5% transfer charge that includes fresh DHS vetting; using the prior corporate gift for a replacement employee does not approve that employee. The published terms attach a recurring annual maintenance charge and a further charge on transfer, with transfer requiring a new background check, so the sponsoring company takes on a commitment returning every year and a decision point whenever the arrangement moves. Applicants should also expect ordinary ancillary costs — legal fees, document preparation, translations — which sit outside the programme's own charges and are payable regardless of outcome. Each joining spouse and each unmarried child under twenty-one must be considered in the initial application and carries its own nonrefundable processing fee and further gift amount, in corporate cases as much as individual ones.