Practice varies, and the arrangement should be agreed in writing before anyone starts. Beyond any application charge, the substantial cost is the evidence: assembling the enterprise's qualification package and the employee's skills record. Current government amounts should be read from official published fee information rather than from older summaries.
Agree who is paying for the enterprise's evidence
The unusual feature here is that much of the required work benefits the employer as much as the applicant, because the enterprise's qualification package can be reused for other employees and for the investor. An employee who quietly absorbs that cost is subsidizing the company. Raising the question early is reasonable and is best done as part of the offer discussion rather than afterwards. There is also an opportunity cost worth naming: if the enterprise turns out not to qualify, the position disappears, and an applicant who has already resigned another job carries that loss. Ask for the ownership facts to be confirmed before making any irreversible commitment, and have a licensed adviser scope the work in writing.
Use separate columns for the purchase price, operating reserve, immigration preparation, and money that cannot safely be reclaimed if the plan changes. A deposit is useful only if its legal terms show a credible commitment and not an easy option to walk away. The enterprise must be real and non-marginal, and capital has to face genuine commercial risk rather than remain freely available to the investor. Hypothetical example: A craft-paper wholesaler compares a refundable franchise reservation with a signed inventory order. The decision is not which receipt looks larger; it is which obligation actually puts capital at risk.