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H-1BE-3PERM

Higher minimum pay for H-1B and green card jobs

Labor Department rule: Improving Wage Protections for the Temporary and Permanent Employment of Certain Foreign Nationals in the United States (RIN 1205-AC30)

  1. Draft

  2. Comments

  3. Revising

  4. In effect

Comments closed May 26, 2026Final rule pending

1,322 public comments

40% oppose31% support29% neither

What would change

The Labor Department proposes raising the four prevailing wage levels that H-1B, H-1B1, E-3 and PERM green card jobs must pay. Entry level would move from the 17th to the 34th percentile of local pay for the job.

26,913 views of the official page

Read the proposal ↗

Those opposed say

  • Entry level pay floors would sit above market in many places
  • Ignores regional pay differences outside big cities
  • Startups and small firms couldn't afford new hires

Those in favor say

  • Stops employers from paying visa workers below market
  • Some say entry level should be at the median or higher
  • Protects pay for US workers in the same jobs

A sample of 70 comments read by AI on Oct 29, not a poll. Many organizations sent attached letters the sample couldn't read; those count as unclear.

From the Federal Register, regulations.gov and the White House's list of rules under review, checked daily. Summaries are ours and leave out detail, so read the official text before acting on it. We don't take sides on any of these.

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