Republicans Propose Raising H-1B Salary Threshold From $60,000 to Nearly $140,000

Republican lawmakers have introduced legislation to raise the salary threshold that allows some US employers to bypass additional worker-protection requirements when hiring H-1B visa holders, potentially increasing the benchmark from $60,000 to nearly $140,000 a year.

The bill, introduced by Wisconsin Representative Glenn Grothman, has a companion measure sponsored by Ohio Senator Jon Husted. Known as the Protecting American Workers Through H-1B Modernization Act, the proposal targets companies classified as H-1B-dependent employers because they rely heavily on foreign workers under the visa programme.

Under current US law, these employers must meet additional requirements intended to protect American workers. They must generally demonstrate that they have sought qualified US candidates and have not displaced American employees when recruiting certain H-1B workers.

However, employers can avoid some of these obligations if the foreign worker earns at least $60,000 annually or holds a master's degree or higher. The salary threshold was established in 1998 and has not been adjusted since.

Grothman's proposal would replace the fixed figure with a threshold equal to twice the Social Security Administration's National Average Wage Index. Based on current figures, this would put the benchmark at nearly $140,000 a year. The change would also allow the threshold to rise or fall in line with future wage trends.

Supporters argue that the existing threshold no longer reflects current economic conditions. They say wage growth and inflation have reduced the value of a benchmark established almost three decades ago, allowing some employers to avoid requirements designed to give American workers a fair opportunity to compete for jobs.

Grothman has argued that companies should not be allowed to rely on an outdated salary standard to bypass protections for qualified American candidates. Husted has similarly described the unchanged threshold as a loophole that allows employers heavily dependent on H-1B workers to avoid additional recruitment obligations.

The proposal forms part of a wider Republican effort to tighten the H-1B visa programme, which allows US employers to recruit foreign professionals for specialised occupations. The programme has become a major point of disagreement over immigration policy, wages and the recruitment of skilled workers.

Arizona Representative Eli Crane has advocated a temporary suspension of new H-1B visas, lower annual allocations and higher salary requirements. Texas Representative Beth Van Duyne has called for tougher penalties against employers that violate programme rules, while fellow Texas Republican Chip Roy has proposed ending the route through which many H-1B workers obtain permanent residency and changing how visas are allocated.

Other lawmakers, however, support reforms aimed at reducing the green-card backlog affecting millions of immigrants, including skilled foreign professionals who have spent years waiting for permanent residence. The competing proposals reflect a broader disagreement in Congress over whether the priority should be restricting foreign recruitment or making it easier for skilled immigrants already working in the country to remain permanently.

The debate also highlights divisions within President Donald Trump's political coalition. Immigration restrictionists argue that employers use the programme to suppress wages and replace American professionals. Technology companies, by contrast, maintain that access to international talent is essential to filling specialised roles and sustaining the country's competitiveness.

The Trump administration has pursued tighter controls on employment-based immigration, including proposals for higher visa fees and closer scrutiny of applications and renewals. It has also supported measures affecting some major technology companies' participation in employment-based green-card sponsorship.

These policies have faced opposition from parts of the business community. Microsoft president Brad Smith has challenged restrictions affecting the company's employees, disputing claims of widespread abuse and warning that tighter controls could weaken the competitiveness of US businesses.