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H-1BPOLICY BRIEF

Proposed Increase to H-1B / Wage Floors

Current status
Final rule at OIRA
In effect?
Not in effect
Community score
Last checked
ET

H-1B, H-1B1, E-3 and all require employers to pay at least a minimum wage, set at four levels according to how much experience and responsibility the job requires. plans to move the four levels from roughly the 17th, 34th, 50th and 67th percentiles of local pay for the job to the 34th, 52nd, 70th and 88th. “34th percentile” means: line up everyone doing this job in the area from lowest to highest paid, and the wage is higher than 34% of them. On November 6, sent the draft to for review before publication. Current wage levels continue to apply.

Who is affected
Applicants for H-1B, H-1B1 (the work visa for citizens of Singapore and Chile), E-3 (the work visa for Australian citizens) and green cards, and the employers paying them. Students on OPT hoping for H-1B sponsorship should pay particular attention.
Keep in mind
This proposal sets the minimum wage employers must pay. The wage-weighted H-1B lottery (#04) is a separate rule that is already in effect. The percentiles above come from the March 27 proposal; the published will set the final levels, affected filings and transition arrangements.
Next to watch
Date unknown · completes final-rule review; then publishes the final text, transition arrangements and effective date.

Policy background

00 / BACKGROUND

When an employer files an (Labor Condition Application) for an H-1B worker, or seeks a wage determination for a green card, it first has to find the job’s “,” which is the minimum. uses the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ wage data to split pay for each occupation and area into four levels: Level I for entry-level jobs up to Level IV for senior ones. The employer picks the level that matches the job’s requirements and must pay at least that much.

On September 19, 2025, a told to start revising those levels. On March 27, 2026, published the proposal ( 1205-AC30), and the 60-day closed May 26. The August 2026 government rulemaking plan still lists it at the proposal stage. Until issues a , wage levels are calculated the current way.

On November 6, received ’s draft ( 1205-AC30) for review before publication. This is the White House’s review of major rules before release. Next, completes its review and publishes the final text and effective date.

Potential impact

01 / IMPACT
OUR TAKE · ANALYSIS

Years of higher salary could become another barrier to sponsorship.

If adopted, the employer’s extra cost is salary every year, for years, not a one-time filing fee. For jobs already at the edge of the budget, employers have three choices: pay more, change hiring plans or stop sponsoring. Entry-level jobs are hit hardest, because Level I rises the most (roughly doubling, from about the 17th to the 34th percentile).

For job seekers: some jobs may stop offering sponsorship

If an employer can’t pay the new minimum, it may stop hiring visa holders for that job. Entry-level roles and tight-budget employers are hit hardest.

Example 1 · Hypothetical

Say a job’s minimum wage is $80,000 a year today and the offer matches it. If the new standard raises it to $90,000 and applies to this petition, the employer must raise the offer to at least $90,000; without the extra budget, it cannot file at the original salary. (Figures are illustrative.)

Example 2 · Hypothetical

Under the new standard, both Lin and Chen would need a raise. Lin’s company agrees; Chen’s won’t add budget. Same requirement, but only the employer willing to pay more can go ahead.

For current workers: it can hit at your next filing

When an extension or job change needs a new , your pay is checked against the rules in force then, not just at first sponsorship.

Example 1 · Hypothetical

Chen’s pay met the minimum for his last H-1B. A new employer now offers the same salary. If the new standard is in effect and the minimum for this job has gone up, the new employer has to raise the offer. Enough last time may not be enough now.

Example 2 · Hypothetical

Wang’s H-1B and his Labor Condition Application () both expire soon, and the company wants to extend him for three years, which needs a new . Same company, job and location, but if the new standard applies, his pay is checked against it; if he is below the new minimum, the company must give him a raise, or it cannot extend him at his current pay. Which extensions are covered depends on the and its transition terms.

For green cards: budgets need a rethink

If wages rise too, employers have to redo salary budgets for the years from work visa to green card.

For example · Hypothetical

Li’s company is starting his green card and budgeted at today’s wage. If the new standard raises the minimum for his job, the company has to redo its salary costs. That is extra pay every year, not a one-time fee, and the company may reconsider whether to continue.

Outlook

02 / OUTLOOK

Our view: the effect will vary a lot by occupation, region and employer budget. The final numbers and any transition period will decide whether costs hit all at once or phase in as new filings come in.

What happens in each case?

Pick a situation to see what it would mean for you. The three are side-by-side possibilities, in no particular order.

IF THIS HAPPENS A · Raised as proposed

Jobs at the edge of the budget lose sponsorship

Assumption: The proposed four wage levels stay mostly as written.

Potential effects in this scenario
Some employers will pay more; others will sponsor fewer jobs. Well-funded companies cope more easily.
Signals to watch
The final wage method, who it covers and employers’ salary budgets.

These scenarios are our analysis and get updated as new documents come out.

What would change this analysis?
Which visas
Minimum wage requirements for H-1B, H-1B1, E-3 and .
Proposed levels
The four levels would move to about the 34th, 52nd, 70th and 88th percentiles of local pay for the job.
What applies now
Current wage levels still apply. The will say from when, and to which filings, new levels apply.

Progress

03 / Federal rulemaking

Comments closed May 26. received ’s draft on November 6 and is reviewing it before publication. Current wage levels continue to apply.

Currently waiting for

completing its review and publishing the and effective date.

In progress ·

The agency publishes the : the finished text, its response to comments and the start date.

PUBLIC COMMENTS

Distribution of views

200 sampled comments

Published comments: 1,298 · Sampled 09/12/2026, 09:09 ET

Comment period closed 2026-05-26 · Sample retained for review

The proposal covers wage determinations for H-1B, H-1B1, E-3, and PERM; some comments discuss a separate H-1B selection policy.

Policy direction

Classified by policy direction: support includes endorsing the proposal, clearly negative views of the relevant foreign-worker or visa program, and calls for tighter restrictions. Opposition includes rejecting restrictions, defending migrants or work authorization, and preserving or expanding access. Explicit views on the proposal’s exact provisions are not required.

Oppose tightening119 / 200 · 59.5%
Support tightening67 / 200 · 33.5%
Conditional / mixed direction2 / 200 · 1%
Unclear / unclassifiable direction12 / 200 · 6%

Themes discussed

Supporters and opponents may discuss the same theme. A comment can have multiple labels; percentages use the selected group’s comment count, so totals may exceed 100%.

All: 200 comments · Percentages within this group

Wage benchmarks and regional variation111 / 200 · 55.5%
Talent, innovation, and offshoring98 / 200 · 49%
Enforcement and other reforms72 / 200 · 36%
Graduates and entry-level pathways71 / 200 · 35.5%
Wage protection and domestic employment65 / 200 · 32.5%
Legal basis and transition60 / 200 · 30%
Small employers and concentration50 / 200 · 25%
Universities and public service37 / 200 · 18.5%
Sampling method & all 200 records

A fixed random seed selected 200 unique comment IDs from the complete listing of 1298 published records. Sampled 09/12/2026, 09:09 ET. This site's AI classified each body into one position and zero or more themes; these are not official labels. Similar submissions with distinct IDs remain separate records.

Each full body is reviewed for its relevant policy direction, rather than classified by isolated words such as support or oppose. Demands for higher fees, tighter restrictions or visa abolition count as support for tightening; preserving or expanding work and residence opportunities counts as opposition. Scope-dependent combinations of tightening and easing, or explicit substantive conditions of support, remain conditional / mixed. Opposing the removal of protections while accepting shorter protections only as a fallback remains opposition. General anti-fraud language does not override an overall defense of lawful work access. Unrelated content, pure questions, indeterminate views and unreadable records remain unclear. Labels rely on the text, not names or identities. Unavailable attachments are disclosed and only readable bodies are assessed. No sample is replaced because of its viewpoint or readability.

Download sampling frame, seed & classifications (JSON)
Wage benchmarks and regional variation
Views on wage percentiles, experience tiers, and regional fit.
Graduates and entry-level pathways
Entry-level hiring, training, and career progression.
Small employers and concentration
Costs for startups and smaller employers and advantages for large firms.
Talent, innovation, and offshoring
Expected effects on talent retention, innovation, domestic jobs, and offshoring.
Universities and public service
Pay and funding structures of universities, research, and public-service employers.
Wage protection and domestic employment
Concerns about underpayment, displacing local workers and fair competition, as commenters describe them.
Enforcement and other reforms
Audits, classification, recruitment, portability, and other visa-system recommendations.
Legal basis and transition
Legal and procedural objections, existing cases, implementation timing, and predictability.

All: 200 comments

  1. ETA-2026-0001-1019 ↗Oppose tightening · Warns unrealistic entry wages would impede graduate retention and long-term competitiveness.Graduates and entry-level pathways · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Wage benchmarks and regional variation
  2. ETA-2026-0001-0631 ↗Support tightening · Alleges H-1B/OPT fraud and exclusion of domestic workers, expressing a tightening direction against visa-labor substitution.Wage protection and domestic employment · Enforcement and other reforms
  3. ETA-2026-0001-1097 ↗Support tightening · Supports the proposal to protect domestic wages and jobs, citing concerns about remittances.Wage protection and domestic employment
  4. ETA-2026-0001-1018 ↗Support tightening · Welcomes the proposal's wage protections and seeks stronger classification, geographic wage, and contracting audits.Wage protection and domestic employment · Enforcement and other reforms · Wage benchmarks and regional variation
  5. ETA-2026-0001-0526 ↗Oppose tightening · Warns higher wage thresholds would obstruct graduate hiring and talent retention and encourage offshoring.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Talent, innovation, and offshoring
  6. ETA-2026-0001-1058 ↗Support tightening · Sees the wage rule as limited and seeks stronger measures against alleged foreign-labor oversupply.Wage protection and domestic employment · Enforcement and other reforms
  7. ETA-2026-0001-1213 ↗Unclear / unclassifiable direction · The text only says “see attachment,” so no position can be read.Attachments couldn’t be downloaded; the comment text doesn’t state a position.
  8. ETA-2026-0001-0792 ↗Support tightening · Supports prompt implementation, calling the adjustment fair and protective against domestic worker displacement.Wage protection and domestic employment · Legal basis and transition
  9. ETA-2026-0001-1228 ↗Unclear / unclassifiable direction · The text only says “see attachment,” so no position can be read.Attachments couldn’t be downloaded; the comment text doesn’t state a position.
  10. ETA-2026-0001-0474 ↗Oppose tightening · Warns higher thresholds would undermine international graduate hiring, talent retention, and innovation.Graduates and entry-level pathways · Talent, innovation, and offshoring
  11. ETA-2026-0001-0189 ↗Support tightening · Alleges fraud and domestic-worker displacement and calls for ending H-1B, supporting stronger restrictions.Wage protection and domestic employment · Enforcement and other reforms
  12. ETA-2026-0001-0645 ↗Oppose tightening · Argues fixed healthcare reimbursements constrain pay and the proposal would drive rural healthcare staff losses.Universities and public service · Wage benchmarks and regional variation
  13. ETA-2026-0001-0778 ↗Oppose tightening · Argues high wage requirements would prevent graduate retention and weaken technological leadership.Graduates and entry-level pathways · Talent, innovation, and offshoring
  14. ETA-2026-0001-0401 ↗Oppose tightening · Opposes sharp wage increases over employer burdens and offshoring, favoring targeted enforcement.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Small employers and concentration · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Enforcement and other reforms
  15. ETA-2026-0001-0822 ↗Oppose tightening · Seeks withdrawal, criticizing benchmarking and burdens on existing cases, and favors experience comparisons and targeted enforcement.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Small employers and concentration · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Legal basis and transition · Enforcement and other reforms
  16. ETA-2026-0001-0550 ↗Oppose tightening · Warns higher thresholds would affect graduates, renewals, and transfers and weaken talent retention.Graduates and entry-level pathways · Legal basis and transition · Talent, innovation, and offshoring
  17. ETA-2026-0001-0799 ↗Oppose tightening · Warns an abrupt entry-wage increase would harm U.S. graduates and small employers.Graduates and entry-level pathways · Small employers and concentration · Legal basis and transition
  18. ETA-2026-0001-0539 ↗Support tightening · Finds the wage rule inadequate and seeks stricter visa legislation and limits on foreign staffing ratios.Wage protection and domestic employment · Enforcement and other reforms · Legal basis and transition
  19. ETA-2026-0001-0781 ↗Conditional / mixed direction · Supports revised standards for general occupations but seeks exemptions or tailored methods for specialized scientific and engineering fields.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Universities and public service · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Enforcement and other reforms
  20. ETA-2026-0001-0076 ↗Support tightening · Opposes low-paid H-1B displacement and favors salary-based visa allocation as a tightening direction.Wage protection and domestic employment · Enforcement and other reforms
  21. ETA-2026-0001-0447 ↗Oppose tightening · Considers current wages competitive and warns new thresholds would reduce entry jobs and harm startups.Graduates and entry-level pathways · Small employers and concentration · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Wage benchmarks and regional variation
  22. ETA-2026-0001-0141 ↗Support tightening · Supports the rule change and seeks above-market minimum wages and action on misclassification.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Wage protection and domestic employment · Enforcement and other reforms
  23. ETA-2026-0001-0184 ↗Support tightening · Supports wage increases as a first step and seeks a higher entry threshold and training of domestic talent.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Wage protection and domestic employment
  24. ETA-2026-0001-1120 ↗Oppose tightening · Criticizes high percentiles for ignoring total compensation and regional variation, warning of harm to cybersecurity roles and ongoing petitions.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Legal basis and transition
  25. ETA-2026-0001-0346 ↗Support tightening · Supports the rule and coverage of existing visas, alongside lower caps and a ban on third-party placement.Wage protection and domestic employment · Enforcement and other reforms · Legal basis and transition
  26. ETA-2026-0001-0215 ↗Support tightening · Supports the rule change and seeks at least median wages to reduce displacement and abuse.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Wage protection and domestic employment · Enforcement and other reforms
  27. ETA-2026-0001-0138 ↗Support tightening · Seeks wages of at least 150% of the comparable education-and-experience average and stronger recruitment verification.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Wage protection and domestic employment · Enforcement and other reforms
  28. ETA-2026-0001-0779 ↗Oppose tightening · Warns rigid wage thresholds would harm multilingual talent, small firms, and international graduate retention.Graduates and entry-level pathways · Small employers and concentration · Universities and public service · Talent, innovation, and offshoring
  29. ETA-2026-0001-0376 ↗Oppose tightening · Calls for rejection without elaborating.
  30. ETA-2026-0001-1072 ↗Unclear / unclassifiable direction · The text only says “see attachment,” so no position can be read.Attachments couldn’t be downloaded; the comment text doesn’t state a position.
  31. ETA-2026-0001-0678 ↗Oppose tightening · Explicitly opposes uniform increases as mismatched to research funding and pay, seeking sector analysis, research exemptions, and cumulative-burden review.Universities and public service · Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Legal basis and transition
  32. ETA-2026-0001-0517 ↗Oppose tightening · Argues higher junior wages would constrain startup hiring and slow innovation.Graduates and entry-level pathways · Small employers and concentration · Talent, innovation, and offshoring
  33. ETA-2026-0001-0352 ↗Support tightening · Seeks higher wage thresholds and OPT restrictions to protect domestic employment.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Wage protection and domestic employment · Enforcement and other reforms
  34. ETA-2026-0001-0381 ↗Oppose tightening · Argues the proposal misses underlying problems and higher thresholds would not ensure jobs for domestic workers.Wage protection and domestic employment · Wage benchmarks and regional variation
  35. ETA-2026-0001-0209 ↗Support tightening · Supports implementation, arguing low floors enable wage arbitrage and displacement of young domestic workers.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Wage protection and domestic employment
  36. ETA-2026-0001-0754 ↗Support tightening · Seeks far-above-market wages and penalties for foreign hiring to prioritize domestic opportunities.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Wage protection and domestic employment · Enforcement and other reforms
  37. ETA-2026-0001-1177 ↗Support tightening · Finds the rule insufficient and seeks stronger domestic job and wage protections.Wage protection and domestic employment
  38. ETA-2026-0001-1258 ↗Unclear / unclassifiable direction · The text only says “see attachment,” so no position can be read.Attachments couldn’t be downloaded; the comment text doesn’t state a position.
  39. ETA-2026-0001-1232 ↗Support tightening · Supports stronger protections and seeks larger wage increases and country quotas.Wage protection and domestic employment · Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Enforcement and other reforms
  40. ETA-2026-0001-0085 ↗Oppose tightening · Opposes experience benchmarking as distorting wages and increasing compliance burdens and offshoring risks.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Small employers and concentration · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Legal basis and transition
  41. ETA-2026-0001-0859 ↗Oppose tightening · Opposes uniform sharp increases over mobility, existing-case, and talent-loss concerns, favoring targeted enforcement and transition protection.Legal basis and transition · Enforcement and other reforms · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Universities and public service · Small employers and concentration · Wage benchmarks and regional variation
  42. ETA-2026-0001-0650 ↗Oppose tightening · Affirms immigrant contributions and merit-based opportunity, expressing a pro-immigrant direction without evaluating the wage formula.
  43. ETA-2026-0001-1217 ↗Unclear / unclassifiable direction · The text only says “see attachment,” so no position can be read.Attachments couldn’t be downloaded; the comment text doesn’t state a position.
  44. ETA-2026-0001-0476 ↗Oppose tightening · Explicitly opposes the proposal as unfair and harmful to hardworking people, without further explanation.
  45. ETA-2026-0001-1188 ↗Support tightening · Welcomes the rule change and seeks entry wages closer to the local median.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Wage protection and domestic employment
  46. ETA-2026-0001-0038 ↗Oppose tightening · Argues uniform increases compound other costs and encourage reclassification, favoring industry- and role-specific wage setting.Small employers and concentration · Universities and public service · Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Enforcement and other reforms
  47. ETA-2026-0001-1245 ↗Support tightening · Seeks higher entry wages for H-1B-dependent employers and a ban on moves to lower wage levels.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Wage protection and domestic employment · Enforcement and other reforms
  48. ETA-2026-0001-0527 ↗Oppose tightening · Opposes the draft, warning thresholds would exclude qualified graduates and specialists and encourage offshoring.Graduates and entry-level pathways · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Wage benchmarks and regional variation
  49. ETA-2026-0001-0494 ↗Oppose tightening · Seeks grandfathering of pending filings to preserve green-card access; agreement with fair-wage goals does not endorse added barriers.Legal basis and transition
  50. ETA-2026-0001-0195 ↗Support tightening · Supports increases but calls for above-market wages plus classification, portability, and audit reforms.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Wage protection and domestic employment · Enforcement and other reformsAttachments couldn’t be downloaded; classified from the comment text.
  51. ETA-2026-0001-0702 ↗Oppose tightening · Opposes the change, arguing employers would relocate costly positions abroad.Talent, innovation, and offshoring
  52. ETA-2026-0001-0477 ↗Oppose tightening · Opposes steep increases and favors gradual, region-sensitive adjustments to preserve entry opportunities.Graduates and entry-level pathways · Small employers and concentration · Universities and public service · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Legal basis and transition · Wage benchmarks and regional variation
  53. ETA-2026-0001-1289 ↗Unclear / unclassifiable direction · The text only says “see attachment,” so no position can be read.Attachments couldn’t be downloaded; the comment text doesn’t state a position.
  54. ETA-2026-0001-1087 ↗Oppose tightening · Questions whether elevated wages restricting lawful hiring exceed statutory authority and market-calibration purposes.Legal basis and transition · Wage benchmarks and regional variation
  55. ETA-2026-0001-0760 ↗Support tightening · Strongly supports the proposal and seeks higher percentiles and stronger penalties for willful violations.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Wage protection and domestic employment · Enforcement and other reforms
  56. ETA-2026-0001-0154 ↗Oppose tightening · Seeks retention of current tiers, arguing the entry increase lacks evidence and would reduce hiring.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Legal basis and transition
  57. ETA-2026-0001-1123 ↗Oppose tightening · Opposes higher benchmarks as disrupting total compensation, critical technical teams, and long-term workforce planning.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Legal basis and transition
  58. ETA-2026-0001-0592 ↗Unclear / unclassifiable direction · The text only says “see attachment,” so no position can be read.Attachments couldn’t be downloaded; the comment text doesn’t state a position.
  59. ETA-2026-0001-0940 ↗Oppose tightening · Opposes the wage rule over concerns skilled talent would move to other countries.Talent, innovation, and offshoring
  60. ETA-2026-0001-0419 ↗Oppose tightening · Seeks withdrawal, arguing thresholds conflict with public-school salary scales and education requirements and leave classrooms unstaffed.Universities and public service · Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Legal basis and transition
  61. ETA-2026-0001-0903 ↗Oppose tightening · Argues the proposal diverges from comparable market pay and would weaken specialized engineering and global innovation collaboration.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Talent, innovation, and offshoring
  62. ETA-2026-0001-0942 ↗Oppose tightening · Opposes the wage rule over concerns skilled talent would move to other countries.Talent, innovation, and offshoring
  63. ETA-2026-0001-0026 ↗Oppose tightening · Argues raising Level I changes the meaning of entry-level roles and should not be implemented.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Graduates and entry-level pathways
  64. ETA-2026-0001-1173 ↗Oppose tightening · Seeks no increase in wage minimums so academic fields can retain access to international scholars.Universities and public service · Talent, innovation, and offshoring
  65. ETA-2026-0001-0691 ↗Oppose tightening · Opposes increases, arguing fixed budgets will reduce entry hiring and training and harm domestic employment.Graduates and entry-level pathways · Talent, innovation, and offshoring
  66. ETA-2026-0001-0848 ↗Support tightening · Alleges visa-linked disparities in layoffs and retention and seeks stronger audits and regulation to protect domestic workers.Wage protection and domestic employment · Enforcement and other reforms
  67. ETA-2026-0001-0905 ↗Support tightening · Criticizes slow and inadequate wage-rule action and seeks implementation of stricter visa and work-authorization restrictions.Legal basis and transition · Enforcement and other reforms
  68. ETA-2026-0001-0065 ↗Support tightening · Seeks correction of gaps covering L-1 and EAD-based labor to prevent avoidance of wage protections.Wage protection and domestic employment · Enforcement and other reforms
  69. ETA-2026-0001-0572 ↗Oppose tightening · Seeks withdrawal over offshoring, small-business and healthcare harms, and insufficient statistical justification.Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Small employers and concentration · Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Universities and public service · Legal basis and transition · Enforcement and other reforms
  70. ETA-2026-0001-1103 ↗Oppose tightening · Seeks withdrawal, questioning economic and legal justification and warning of harm to small firms, graduates, and talent retention.Legal basis and transition · Small employers and concentration · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Universities and public service · Talent, innovation, and offshoring
  71. ETA-2026-0001-0181 ↗Oppose tightening · Argues base-pay thresholds hinder retention of AI graduates and seeks reconsideration or exemptions.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Talent, innovation, and offshoring
  72. ETA-2026-0001-1183 ↗Conditional / mixed direction · Favors occupation-sensitive wages, retaining senior protections while reducing entry barriers in shortage fields.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Enforcement and other reforms
  73. ETA-2026-0001-0077 ↗Support tightening · Finds the measures insufficient and demands a complete H-1B ban, supporting further tightening.Wage protection and domestic employment · Enforcement and other reforms
  74. ETA-2026-0001-1178 ↗Support tightening · Supports the new wage rule and seeks a larger wage premium and revocation of some visas.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Wage protection and domestic employment · Enforcement and other reforms
  75. ETA-2026-0001-1172 ↗Oppose tightening · Argues the proposal would impede public universities' hiring of international scholars and postdocs.Universities and public service · Talent, innovation, and offshoring
  76. ETA-2026-0001-0619 ↗Oppose tightening · Opposes above-market thresholds and disruption to existing cases, requesting prospective-only application if adopted.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Legal basis and transition
  77. ETA-2026-0001-0604 ↗Oppose tightening · Opposes the proposal, attributing layoffs to economic and AI changes and warning thresholds would reduce hiring and encourage offshoring.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Wage protection and domestic employment · Talent, innovation, and offshoring
  78. ETA-2026-0001-1195 ↗Support tightening · Supports the new rule and equal pay, seeking restrictions to genuine skill shortages.Wage protection and domestic employment · Enforcement and other reforms
  79. ETA-2026-0001-1211 ↗Unclear / unclassifiable direction · The text only says “see attachment,” so no position can be read.Attachments couldn’t be downloaded; the comment text doesn’t state a position.
  80. ETA-2026-0001-1006 ↗Oppose tightening · Warns uniform thresholds exceed landscape-design project budgets and seeks region- and industry-sensitive reconsideration.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Small employers and concentration · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Talent, innovation, and offshoring
  81. ETA-2026-0001-1039 ↗Oppose tightening · Criticizes blanket increases for harming graduates and favors experience benchmarking, worksite enforcement, and OPT transition protections.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Enforcement and other reforms · Legal basis and transition
  82. ETA-2026-0001-1267 ↗Oppose tightening · Seeks withdrawal or major revision, questioning wage-gap analysis and warning of harm to firms, shortage sectors, and talent retention.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Small employers and concentration · Universities and public service · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Legal basis and transition
  83. ETA-2026-0001-1053 ↗Oppose tightening · Seeks withdrawal, arguing entry-wage thresholds would offshore junior engineering teams and innovation.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Talent, innovation, and offshoring
  84. ETA-2026-0001-0079 ↗Support tightening · Views the rule as helpful in reducing low-wage replacement and protecting domestic workers.Wage protection and domestic employment
  85. ETA-2026-0001-0490 ↗Oppose tightening · Strongly opposes higher thresholds over startup burdens, job losses, and offshoring of innovation.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Small employers and concentration · Talent, innovation, and offshoring
  86. ETA-2026-0001-0155 ↗Support tightening · Supports wage increases and seeks a minimum at the local 50th percentile.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Wage protection and domestic employment
  87. ETA-2026-0001-0456 ↗Support tightening · Views the rule as needed to address stagnant pay and constrained earnings growth among visa workers.Wage protection and domestic employment
  88. ETA-2026-0001-0314 ↗Support tightening · Seeks application of the new wage rule to all H-1B holders plus stronger restrictions and annual audits.Wage protection and domestic employment · Enforcement and other reforms · Legal basis and transition
  89. ETA-2026-0001-1186 ↗Support tightening · Supports the new rule as a first step and equal pay for domestic and foreign workers.Wage protection and domestic employment
  90. ETA-2026-0001-0709 ↗Support tightening · Alleges visa abuse and inadequate enforcement and seeks an end to H-1B third-party placements and stricter legislation.Enforcement and other reforms
  91. ETA-2026-0001-0573 ↗Oppose tightening · Seeks current wage levels, warning entry thresholds would exclude graduates, harm research, and encourage offshoring.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Small employers and concentration · Universities and public service · Talent, innovation, and offshoring
  92. ETA-2026-0001-0749 ↗Support tightening · Supports any measure reducing immigration and seeks a complete immigration halt.Enforcement and other reforms
  93. ETA-2026-0001-0566 ↗Support tightening · Finds wage percentiles too low and seeks higher thresholds to restrict low-paid foreign hiring.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Wage protection and domestic employment
  94. ETA-2026-0001-0312 ↗Support tightening · Supports the wage rule while seeking lower caps, coverage of existing holders, and placement restrictions.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Wage protection and domestic employment · Enforcement and other reforms · Legal basis and transition
  95. ETA-2026-0001-0468 ↗Oppose tightening · Argues lower wage tiers reflect normal career stages and rejects using them to justify steep increases.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Universities and public service
  96. ETA-2026-0001-0946 ↗Oppose tightening · Opposes the wage rule over concerns skilled talent would move to other countries.Talent, innovation, and offshoring
  97. ETA-2026-0001-0060 ↗Support tightening · Welcomes wage increases and seeks stronger audits, penalties, whistleblower protection, and post-layoff hiring restrictions.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Wage protection and domestic employment · Enforcement and other reforms
  98. ETA-2026-0001-1052 ↗Support tightening · Strongly supports the new percentiles and seeks parallel wage protections for OPT and L-1.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Wage protection and domestic employment · Enforcement and other reforms · Legal basis and transition
  99. ETA-2026-0001-0555 ↗Oppose tightening · Criticizes excessive increases and harm to training and medical research, favoring experience benchmarking and phased implementation.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Universities and public service · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Legal basis and transition · Enforcement and other reforms
  100. ETA-2026-0001-0207 ↗Support tightening · Supports prompt percentile increases to reduce low-wage substitution and protect domestic graduates.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Wage protection and domestic employment · Legal basis and transition
  101. ETA-2026-0001-0437 ↗Oppose tightening · Opposes increases that overlook fixed architectural project fees and warns of lost access to global expertise.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Talent, innovation, and offshoring
  102. ETA-2026-0001-0162 ↗Support tightening · Alleges H-1B displacement of domestic workers and seeks a 50th-percentile entry wage.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Wage protection and domestic employment
  103. ETA-2026-0001-0390 ↗Oppose tightening · Rejects the proposal's low-skill substitution premise and argues artificial wage increases would harm skilled contributions.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Wage protection and domestic employment
  104. ETA-2026-0001-0514 ↗Oppose tightening · Seeks reconsideration of market-disconnected wages over small-firm and offshoring harms, favoring phasing if changed.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Small employers and concentration · Universities and public service · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Legal basis and transition
  105. ETA-2026-0001-0670 ↗Oppose tightening · Criticizes equating pay with skill and ignoring equity, seeking protection for startups, research, and entry roles plus targeted enforcement.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Small employers and concentration · Universities and public service · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Enforcement and other reforms · Legal basis and transition
  106. ETA-2026-0001-0761 ↗Support tightening · Supports the new rule, arguing current lower tiers facilitate domestic displacement.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Wage protection and domestic employment
  107. ETA-2026-0001-0846 ↗Support tightening · Alleges visa-linked disparities in layoffs and retention and seeks stronger audits and regulation to protect domestic workers.Wage protection and domestic employment · Enforcement and other reforms
  108. ETA-2026-0001-0137 ↗Oppose tightening · Opposes higher wage floors, citing startup and graduate exclusion and talent loss; also discusses selection reform.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Small employers and concentration · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Legal basis and transition
  109. ETA-2026-0001-0200 ↗Support tightening · Seeks substantial financial penalties on H-1B foreign hiring and offshoring.Wage protection and domestic employment · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Enforcement and other reforms
  110. ETA-2026-0001-0130 ↗Oppose tightening · Criticizes statistical adjustments for overlooking job complexity, regions, and firm size and rejects a uniform method.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Small employers and concentration
  111. ETA-2026-0001-1110 ↗Oppose tightening · Seeks withdrawal or further study, finding education-wage assumptions unsupported and harmful to entry opportunities.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Small employers and concentration · Universities and public service · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Legal basis and transition
  112. ETA-2026-0001-0403 ↗Oppose tightening · Considers abrupt increases excessive and destabilizing, favoring gradual adjustments reflecting economic and regional conditions.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Legal basis and transition · Enforcement and other reforms
  113. ETA-2026-0001-0216 ↗Support tightening · Seeks higher H-1B and OPT employment costs to restrict their use as cheap labor.Wage protection and domestic employment · Enforcement and other reforms
  114. ETA-2026-0001-0145 ↗Oppose tightening · Expresses strong dislike of the proposal without elaborating.
  115. ETA-2026-0001-1295 ↗Support tightening · Finds wage changes inadequate and seeks temporary-visa and work-permit restrictions plus domestic staffing ratios.Wage protection and domestic employment · Enforcement and other reforms · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Legal basis and transition
  116. ETA-2026-0001-1147 ↗Oppose tightening · Opposes percentiles for not measuring statutory education and experience factors and seeks withdrawal or direct comparable-wage measures.Legal basis and transition · Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Graduates and entry-level pathways
  117. ETA-2026-0001-0257 ↗Oppose tightening · Opposes blanket increases over small-business and retention harms, favoring enforcement of existing rules.Small employers and concentration · Universities and public service · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Enforcement and other reforms
  118. ETA-2026-0001-0637 ↗Support tightening · Seeks limits on part-time foreign work, tax-record checks, and higher-paying job classifications to strengthen oversight.Enforcement and other reforms · Wage benchmarks and regional variation
  119. ETA-2026-0001-0608 ↗Oppose tightening · Argues higher wage floors would offshore junior roles and harm domestic employment.Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Wage protection and domestic employment
  120. ETA-2026-0001-0167 ↗Oppose tightening · Argues higher lower-tier wages would hurt small-firm competitiveness and limit opportunities for both domestic and foreign workers.Small employers and concentration · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Talent, innovation, and offshoring
  121. ETA-2026-0001-0062 ↗Oppose tightening · Criticizes experience benchmarking for departing from job requirements, increasing legal risk, and distorting hiring.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Legal basis and transition · Talent, innovation, and offshoring
  122. ETA-2026-0001-0794 ↗Oppose tightening · Argues higher entry thresholds harm graduates and risk losing future talent.Graduates and entry-level pathways · Talent, innovation, and offshoring
  123. ETA-2026-0001-1070 ↗Oppose tightening · Seeks complete withdrawal, citing inadequate wage analysis and failure to consider less burdensome alternatives.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Legal basis and transition · Talent, innovation, and offshoringAttachments couldn’t be downloaded; classified from the comment text.
  124. ETA-2026-0001-1190 ↗Oppose tightening · Endorses opposition to the draft and seeks delayed, phased implementation and transitional wages if pursued.Legal basis and transition
  125. ETA-2026-0001-1286 ↗Unclear / unclassifiable direction · The text only says “see attachment,” so no position can be read.Attachments couldn’t be downloaded; the comment text doesn’t state a position.
  126. ETA-2026-0001-0071 ↗Oppose tightening · Argues restricting visa talent would harm corporate research and long-term competitiveness.Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Universities and public service
  127. ETA-2026-0001-1106 ↗Oppose tightening · Warns steep wage increases would prevent small firms retaining specialists and favor large corporations.Small employers and concentration · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Wage benchmarks and regional variation
  128. ETA-2026-0001-0918 ↗Support tightening · Seeks above-median H-1B entry wages to limit low-paid substitution and prioritize domestic workers.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Wage protection and domestic employment
  129. ETA-2026-0001-0542 ↗Oppose tightening · Argues higher entry wages under fixed budgets would reduce hiring and undermine workforce development.Graduates and entry-level pathways · Talent, innovation, and offshoring
  130. ETA-2026-0001-1273 ↗Oppose tightening · Opposes disruption to existing employment and entry roles, seeking withdrawal or transition protection and targeted enforcement.Legal basis and transition · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Universities and public service · Small employers and concentration · Enforcement and other reforms
  131. ETA-2026-0001-0981 ↗Oppose tightening · Considers the entry increase excessive and harmful to hiring by small firms and nonprofits.Graduates and entry-level pathways · Small employers and concentration · Universities and public service
  132. ETA-2026-0001-1193 ↗Oppose tightening · Strongly opposes high thresholds and absent transitions over graduate, small-firm, university, and talent-loss harms.Graduates and entry-level pathways · Small employers and concentration · Universities and public service · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Legal basis and transition · Wage benchmarks and regional variation
  133. ETA-2026-0001-0943 ↗Oppose tightening · Opposes the wage rule over skilled talent moving to other countries.Talent, innovation, and offshoring
  134. ETA-2026-0001-0595 ↗Unclear / unclassifiable direction · The text only says “see attachment,” which couldn’t be opened, so no position can be read.Attachments couldn’t be downloaded; the comment text doesn’t state a position.
  135. ETA-2026-0001-0704 ↗Oppose tightening · Seeks abandonment, arguing high thresholds diverge from small-town markets and encourage offshoring.Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Small employers and concentration · Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Graduates and entry-level pathways
  136. ETA-2026-0001-0328 ↗Oppose tightening · Seeks withdrawal, criticizing wage-gap reasoning and small-firm burdens, and favors experience benchmarking and targeted enforcement.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Small employers and concentration · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Enforcement and other reforms · Legal basis and transition
  137. ETA-2026-0001-0440 ↗Oppose tightening · Considers the proposal excessively restrictive of entry opportunities and likely to drive away U.S.-trained STEM talent.Graduates and entry-level pathways · Talent, innovation, and offshoring
  138. ETA-2026-0001-0937 ↗Support tightening · Supports prompt implementation to reduce low-wage substitution and protect domestic and foreign workers.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Wage protection and domestic employment · Enforcement and other reforms · Legal basis and transition
  139. ETA-2026-0001-1167 ↗Oppose tightening · Seeks withdrawal or revision, criticizing aggregate benchmarking and incomplete analysis of wage-selection interactions, and favors calibrated tiers and enforcement.Legal basis and transition · Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Small employers and concentration · Universities and public service · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Enforcement and other reformsAttachments couldn’t be downloaded; classified from the comment text.
  140. ETA-2026-0001-0051 ↗Oppose tightening · Requests withdrawal, challenging percentile alignment with market pay and citing small firms, graduates, and offshoring.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Small employers and concentration · Talent, innovation, and offshoring
  141. ETA-2026-0001-0661 ↗Oppose tightening · Opposes the Level I increase and seeks experience-stratified data and graduate transitions to preserve entry hiring.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Small employers and concentration · Universities and public service · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Legal basis and transition
  142. ETA-2026-0001-0685 ↗Oppose tightening · The body emphasizes international postdocs’ value to U.S. science, indicating a pro-immigrant direction; the unavailable attachment leaves specific wage recommendations unknown.Universities and public serviceThe attachment couldn’t be downloaded; direction is based on the text’s support for international postdocs.
  143. ETA-2026-0001-0684 ↗Oppose tightening · Opposes the 34th-percentile entry wage, citing graduate opportunities, small businesses, and offshoring.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Small employers and concentration
  144. ETA-2026-0001-0458 ↗Oppose tightening · Seeks rejection, arguing the rule removes young workers' entry and growth opportunities and reduces talent.Graduates and entry-level pathways · Talent, innovation, and offshoring
  145. ETA-2026-0001-1255 ↗Support tightening · Supports full implementation to prevent lower-paid visa hiring from disadvantaging domestic workers.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Wage protection and domestic employment
  146. ETA-2026-0001-0292 ↗Oppose tightening · Argues steep increases conflict with recently promoted workers’ pay arrangements and may cause layoffs and offshoring.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Talent, innovation, and offshoring
  147. ETA-2026-0001-1055 ↗Support tightening · Supports the wage rule and equal pay and seeks termination of other visa pathways.Wage protection and domestic employment · Enforcement and other reforms
  148. ETA-2026-0001-0657 ↗Oppose tightening · Opposes broad increases over talent, existing-employment, and small-employer harms, favoring targeted enforcement.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Small employers and concentration · Universities and public service · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Legal basis and transition · Enforcement and other reforms
  149. ETA-2026-0001-1067 ↗Unclear / unclassifiable direction · The text only says “see attachment,” so no position can be read.Attachments couldn’t be downloaded; the comment text doesn’t state a position.
  150. ETA-2026-0001-0707 ↗Oppose tightening · Criticizes distorted entry thresholds in technology hubs and suggests phased, regional, and sector-specific adjustments.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Small employers and concentration · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Legal basis and transition
  151. ETA-2026-0001-1199 ↗Support tightening · Finds proposed protections insufficient and seeks 50th/95th-percentile floors plus stricter recruitment verification.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Wage protection and domestic employment · Enforcement and other reforms
  152. ETA-2026-0001-0202 ↗Support tightening · Explicitly supports the H-1B wage rule without elaborating.
  153. ETA-2026-0001-0172 ↗Oppose tightening · Argues uniform increases overlook lower-cost regions, reducing entry jobs and prompting business relocation.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Talent, innovation, and offshoring
  154. ETA-2026-0001-0970 ↗Support tightening · Supports the proposal to reduce low-wage hiring incentives and encourage domestic workforce investment.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Wage protection and domestic employment
  155. ETA-2026-0001-0016 ↗Support tightening · Supports higher wages but finds the 34th percentile too low and seeks an entry floor of at least the 50th percentile.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Wage protection and domestic employment · Enforcement and other reforms
  156. ETA-2026-0001-0036 ↗Oppose tightening · Argues sudden wage increases create uncertainty and hiring freezes.Legal basis and transition
  157. ETA-2026-0001-0841 ↗Oppose tightening · Opposes unsupported steep increases over graduate and research-employer harms and seeks withdrawal or targeted reform.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Small employers and concentration · Universities and public service · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Enforcement and other reforms
  158. ETA-2026-0001-1242 ↗Oppose tightening · Argues high requirements harm public-university research and recruitment and suggests smaller increases for higher education.Universities and public service · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Wage benchmarks and regional variation
  159. ETA-2026-0001-0511 ↗Oppose tightening · Seeks the current framework to avoid burdens on mid-career talent and PERM processes, with stronger enforcement.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Legal basis and transition · Enforcement and other reforms
  160. ETA-2026-0001-0348 ↗Support tightening · Seeks experience benchmarking or higher wage percentiles, with stronger recruitment checks and enforcement to protect domestic workers.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Wage protection and domestic employment · Enforcement and other reforms
  161. ETA-2026-0001-0882 ↗Oppose tightening · Seeks withdrawal over offshoring, renewal and transfer instability, and small-firm exclusion.Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Legal basis and transition · Small employers and concentration · Wage benchmarks and regional variation
  162. ETA-2026-0001-1130 ↗Oppose tightening · Seeks no increase to preserve smaller colleges' international faculty hiring and educational opportunities.Universities and public service · Talent, innovation, and offshoring
  163. ETA-2026-0001-0871 ↗Oppose tightening · Opposes empirically unsupported adjustments over small-business burdens and talent shortages and seeks withdrawal.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Small employers and concentration · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Legal basis and transition
  164. ETA-2026-0001-0241 ↗Support tightening · Finds the reform overdue and insufficient and seeks multiple-fold wage premiums, domestic staffing ratios, and strict inspections.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Wage protection and domestic employment · Enforcement and other reforms
  165. ETA-2026-0001-0391 ↗Oppose tightening · Opposes abrupt increases over existing workers’ mobility, employer costs, and offshoring, seeking gradual, evidence-based reform.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Small employers and concentration · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Legal basis and transition
  166. ETA-2026-0001-0426 ↗Oppose tightening · Argues the proposal harms national interests by excluding entry talent and encouraging small-firm outsourcing.Graduates and entry-level pathways · Small employers and concentration · Talent, innovation, and offshoring
  167. ETA-2026-0001-1054 ↗Support tightening · Supports the plan to reduce cheaper hiring and prioritize domestic graduates' opportunities.Graduates and entry-level pathways · Wage protection and domestic employment
  168. ETA-2026-0001-0020 ↗Oppose tightening · Argues uniform floors obstruct lawful entrepreneurship and seeks accommodations for genuine startups and concurrent H-1B founders.Small employers and concentration · Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Enforcement and other reforms
  169. ETA-2026-0001-0521 ↗Oppose tightening · Opposes threshold and wage-selection interactions harming existing cases and graduates, seeking withdrawal or transition protection.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Legal basis and transition · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Enforcement and other reforms
  170. ETA-2026-0001-0667 ↗Oppose tightening · Opposes the draft as excluding legitimate roles and public research employers, favoring targeted enforcement.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Small employers and concentration · Universities and public service · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Enforcement and other reforms
  171. ETA-2026-0001-0730 ↗Oppose tightening · Criticizes missing analysis of underserved public schools and seeks existing teacher wages and less burdensome alternatives.Universities and public service · Legal basis and transition · Wage benchmarks and regional variation
  172. ETA-2026-0001-0309 ↗Support tightening · Rejects a wage-only partial measure and demands universal visa audits and recruitment verification, otherwise pausing H-1B.Wage protection and domestic employment · Enforcement and other reforms · Legal basis and transition
  173. ETA-2026-0001-0408 ↗Oppose tightening · Opposes higher thresholds and complexity over worsening hiring, innovation, and talent shortages.Talent, innovation, and offshoring
  174. ETA-2026-0001-0630 ↗Oppose tightening · Argues the rule harms graduates and worsens U.S. talent loss.Graduates and entry-level pathways · Talent, innovation, and offshoring
  175. ETA-2026-0001-0813 ↗Oppose tightening · Warns of large-firm advantages, offshoring, and hiring uncertainty and seeks reconsideration and targeted enforcement.Small employers and concentration · Universities and public service · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Legal basis and transition · Enforcement and other reforms
  176. ETA-2026-0001-0639 ↗Oppose tightening · Warns excessive wages would block advanced STEM graduates' workforce entry and weaken innovation.Graduates and entry-level pathways · Talent, innovation, and offshoring
  177. ETA-2026-0001-0869 ↗Oppose tightening · Opposes excessive increases over harms to graduates, small employers, and retention of existing workers.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Small employers and concentration · Universities and public service · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Legal basis and transition
  178. ETA-2026-0001-0714 ↗Support tightening · Alleges H-1B-related unemployment and fraud and demands program abolition and deportations, a clear tightening direction.Wage protection and domestic employment · Enforcement and other reforms
  179. ETA-2026-0001-0817 ↗Oppose tightening · Opposes the proposal as deterring STEM talent and weakening technological competitiveness.Talent, innovation, and offshoring
  180. ETA-2026-0001-0142 ↗Support tightening · Supports the rule as a good start, alongside stricter duration, hiring-tax, and placement limits.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Wage protection and domestic employment · Enforcement and other reforms
  181. ETA-2026-0001-0040 ↗Support tightening · Seeks an entry floor above the 50th percentile, audits, an end to visa renewals, and PERM restrictions.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Wage protection and domestic employment · Enforcement and other reforms
  182. ETA-2026-0001-0283 ↗Oppose tightening · Repeatedly disagrees and calls the proposal unreasonable without specific reasons.
  183. ETA-2026-0001-0734 ↗Support tightening · Explicitly supports wage-and-ability-based H-1B selection and opposes fraud, a tightening direction despite focusing on lottery rules.Enforcement and other reformsThe text is mainly about the wage-weighted H-1B lottery (a separate rule); classified by its view on tightening.
  184. ETA-2026-0001-1085 ↗Oppose tightening · Criticizes insufficient modeling of offshoring and automation and warns the rule could reduce domestic skilled jobs.Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Legal basis and transition
  185. ETA-2026-0001-1115 ↗Oppose tightening · Argues the rule would worsen talent shortages and harm startups and technological competitiveness.Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Small employers and concentration
  186. ETA-2026-0001-0979 ↗Oppose tightening · Argues the rule would reduce all entry hiring and encourage offshoring, seeking local impact assessment.Graduates and entry-level pathways · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Universities and public service · Wage benchmarks and regional variation
  187. ETA-2026-0001-0543 ↗Oppose tightening · Opposes offshoring and lost spending, favoring fraud enforcement while preserving legitimate talent competition.Graduates and entry-level pathways · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Small employers and concentration · Enforcement and other reforms
  188. ETA-2026-0001-0052 ↗Oppose tightening · Argues high wage controls distort markets, reduce graduate opportunities, and encourage offshoring.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Talent, innovation, and offshoring
  189. ETA-2026-0001-0294 ↗Oppose tightening · Warns higher thresholds exclude startups and seeks current wages or extended phasing for small firms.Small employers and concentration · Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Legal basis and transition
  190. ETA-2026-0001-0723 ↗Oppose tightening · Opposes higher floors as reducing junior positions and workforce development under fixed hiring budgets.Graduates and entry-level pathways · Talent, innovation, and offshoring
  191. ETA-2026-0001-0057 ↗Support tightening · Supports implementation to address stagnant wages and alleged program abuse and prioritize domestic employment.Wage protection and domestic employment · Enforcement and other reforms
  192. ETA-2026-0001-0717 ↗Oppose tightening · Considers sharp increases unreasonable and likely to worsen technical shortages and competitiveness.Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Wage benchmarks and regional variation
  193. ETA-2026-0001-0509 ↗Oppose tightening · Seeks withdrawal, criticizing unsupported wage controls for reducing hiring and increasing concentration.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Small employers and concentration · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Legal basis and transition
  194. ETA-2026-0001-1163 ↗Support tightening · Strongly supports higher wages and suggests layoff protections, whistleblower incentives, and stronger employer penalties.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Wage protection and domestic employment · Enforcement and other reforms
  195. ETA-2026-0001-0838 ↗Oppose tightening · Challenges legal and data foundations and warns mid-sized firms would halt hiring and outsource projects, seeking withdrawal.Legal basis and transition · Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Small employers and concentration · Talent, innovation, and offshoring
  196. ETA-2026-0001-0466 ↗Oppose tightening · Views policy changes as too rapid and new requirements as unaffordable after existing salary increases.Legal basis and transition · Graduates and entry-level pathways
  197. ETA-2026-0001-0624 ↗Support tightening · Supports the wage rule and seeks OPT termination over alleged domestic displacement.Wage protection and domestic employment · Graduates and entry-level pathways · Enforcement and other reforms
  198. ETA-2026-0001-0380 ↗Oppose tightening · Opposes barriers between education and employment, favoring entry opportunities and stronger classification enforcement.Graduates and entry-level pathways · Universities and public service · Small employers and concentration · Talent, innovation, and offshoring · Enforcement and other reforms
  199. ETA-2026-0001-1269 ↗Support tightening · Supports proposed percentiles and seeks grants to restricted-eligibility nonprofits overseeing PERM recruitment visibility.Wage benchmarks and regional variation · Wage protection and domestic employment · Enforcement and other reforms
  200. ETA-2026-0001-1034 ↗Unclear / unclassifiable direction · The text only points to an attached letter, so no position can be read.Attachments couldn’t be downloaded; the comment text doesn’t state a position.

This is the spread across a random sample. People choose to write in, and some comments come from organized campaigns.

Read published comments on Regulations.gov ↗

Key dates

04 / TIMELINE

  1. A told to start revising H-1B wage levels.

  2. published the proposal: four levels at the 34th, 52nd, 70th and 88th percentiles.

  3. The 60-day period closed and began reviewing comments.

  4. sent the wage to for review before publication.

Sources

05 / SOURCES
Federal Register NPRMwww.federalregister.gov
DOL rule summarywww.dol.gov

Related

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