Republicans have introduced legislation designed to increase a critical compensation threshold within the H-1B visa program, raising it from $60,000 to approximately $140,000. This modification could have substantial implications for organizations that depend significantly on international talent acquisition.
The proposed legislation would not mandate that all H-1B workers receive $140,000 annually. The $60,000 threshold, which has remained unchanged since 1998, would be replaced under Grothman’s proposed legislation with a dynamic threshold calculated at twice the Social Security Administration’s National Average Wage Index. This adjustment would establish the new figure at approximately $140,000, according to Grothman’s office.
Republican Senator Jon Husted from Ohio has introduced a similar bill in the Senate.
“American workers should come first in their own country,” the congressman said in a news release on Tuesday. Republican Representative Glenn Grothman from Wisconsin has put forward the Protecting American Workers Through H-1B Modernization Act, which would modify regulations affecting H-1B-dependent employers—organizations that maintain a considerable proportion of their workforce through this visa classification. This proposal emerges as the Trump administration and some congressional Republicans advance efforts to reform the H-1B program through increased fees, more rigorous evaluations, and enhanced limitations on companies employing international talent. Rather, it would increase the compensation level required for workers to qualify for the exemption. “Employers should not be able to use a salary threshold established nearly three decades ago to bypass protections for qualified Americans. There is no excuse for leaving this threshold unchanged when it should have been raised years ago. The House bill has been assigned to the House Judiciary Committee, representing an initial phase in the legislative workflow. The measure would require approval from both the House and Senate chambers, followed by presidential signature, before it could become effective.
