Washington, United States – The United States is weighing a proposal that could raise the minimum salaries employers must pay foreign workers on key temporary‑work visas. The plan, under review at the federal level, might reshape hiring costs and opportunities for international professionals in the American labour market.
Okay News reports that the U.S. Department of Labor filed the draft rule with the Office of Management and Budget but has not yet released it publicly. Early signals indicate the proposal would lift prevailing wage levels across several visa programmes, including H‑1B for skilled professionals, H‑1B1 for Chilean and Singaporean workers, E‑3 for Australians, and PERM labour certification tied to employer‑sponsored green cards.
Prevailing wages set the legal floor for pay based on job type, experience level, and location. The current system uses four wage tiers. An upward revision would raise thresholds for all four levels. If adopted, the change could make it more expensive to hire foreign talent, particularly for entry‑level roles, and may reduce the number of lower‑paid positions available under the H‑1B visa.
A similar effort in 2021 under the Trump administration pushed wage percentiles higher but was blocked in court and later withdrawn. Subsequent Biden‑era moves to update the framework were delayed and removed from the rulemaking agenda. The current review could affect widely used pathways such as H‑1B in technology, engineering, healthcare, and finance, as well as allied visas and permanent‑resident routes.
Higher wages could mean better compensation for some foreign workers, even as competition for fewer sponsored roles increases. Small and mid‑sized firms may find sponsorship costs more challenging. The full text is expected only when the rule appears in the Federal Register, after which the public and stakeholders can comment before a final decision.
