H-1B Visa Salary Threshold Could Hit $140,000 Under New Bill

Republicans have introduced legislation that would raise a key salary threshold in the H-1B visa program from $60,000 to almost $140,000, a change that could significantly affect some companies that rely heavily on foreign workers.

Republican Representative Glenn Grothman of Wisconsin has introduced the Protecting American Workers Through H-1B Modernization Act, which would change rules governing so-called H-1B-dependent employers—companies with a significant share of their workforces employed through the visa program. Republican Senator Jon Husted of Ohio has also introduced a companion bill in the Senate.

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Under current law, H-1B-dependent employers are subject to additional requirements intended to protect American workers. Certain H-1B employees, however, are exempt from those requirements if they earn at least $60,000 a year or hold a master’s degree or higher.

The legislation would not require all H-1B workers to earn $140,000. Instead, it would raise the salary threshold at which a worker can qualify for the exemption.

The $60,000 threshold has been in place since 1998. Grothman’s bill would replace the fixed amount with a threshold set at twice the Social Security Administration’s National Average Wage Index. Grothman’s office said that would put the figure at nearly $140,000.

Because the threshold would be tied to the wage index, rather than remaining fixed, it could rise or fall as average wages change.

Grothman said the change was needed because the existing threshold had not kept pace with wages.

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Grothman’s legislation is among several Republican proposals to overhaul the H-1B program. Representative Eli Crane of Arizona has introduced the End H-1B Visa Abuse Act, which would pause new visas for three years, reduce the annual cap and impose a $200,000 salary requirement.

Meanwhile, Representative Beth Van Duyne of Texas has introduced the H-1B Visa Fraud Crackdown Act, which would sharply increase penalties for serious program violations. Representative Chip Roy of Texas has proposed the American White-Collar Worker Jobs Act, which would end the H-1B pathway to permanent residency and overhaul how visas are awarded.

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