DOL's Annual Prevailing-Wage Update Raises Salary Floors for Sponsored Workers
The Department of Labor's July 1, 2026 prevailing-wage refresh raised minimum salary requirements across most occupations for H-1B and PERM sponsorship, while a separate methodology rule remains pending.
What changed
On July 1, 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) put its annual prevailing-wage update into effect for wage year 2026–27. These figures set the minimum salaries employers must offer when sponsoring foreign workers, and the refreshed data lifted wage floors across a large share of occupations. The new rates generally apply to new H-1B, PERM labor certification, and other employment-based filings that rely on a prevailing-wage determination.
A separate proposal looms
Distinct from this routine refresh, DOL issued a proposed rule on March 26, 2026 that would change the prevailing-wage methodology to push required wages higher across H-1B, E-3, and PERM programs. That proposal went through public comment and remains pending — it is not yet in effect.
Our analysis: what it means
- Filing timing matters. Because the annual figures reset on July 1, cases around the cutoff can face different wage obligations.
- Higher floors, higher cost. Rising prevailing wages increase the cost of sponsorship, which can affect offers and hiring of foreign talent.
- Watch the methodology rule. If finalized, the separate proposal could raise wage requirements well beyond this routine annual bump.
The July update is an administrative step; the larger potential shift is the pending methodology rule, which we will continue to track.
Source
Original — U.S. Department of Labor
This is original commentary based on the source below, not legal advice. Confirm details with the official source.