Frequently Asked Questions
What is an LCA filing?
A Labor Condition Application (LCA) is a document an employer must file with the Department of Labor before petitioning USCIS for an H-1B visa. It includes the offered wage, job title, and work location. An approved LCA does not guarantee an H-1B visa was issued.
What is the H-1B visa?
The H-1B is a non-immigrant visa that allows U.S. employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in specialty occupations. These positions typically require at least a bachelor's degree in a specific field. The annual cap is 65,000 visas plus 20,000 for advanced degree holders.
Are these actual salaries paid to workers?
Not exactly. The wages shown are what employers reported on their LCA applications as the offered salary. Actual compensation may differ due to bonuses, stock options, benefits, or changes after filing. The LCA wage represents the minimum the employer committed to pay.
What is a PERM filing?
PERM (Program Electronic Review Management) is the process employers use to obtain permanent labor certification — the first step in sponsoring an employee for a green card. PERM filings indicate an employer's intent to sponsor permanent residency.
What is the prevailing wage?
The prevailing wage is the average wage paid to similarly employed workers in a specific occupation in the area of intended employment. Employers must pay H-1B workers at least the prevailing wage or the actual wage paid to similar employees, whichever is higher.
How are hourly/monthly wages converted?
When employers report wages in non-annual units, we convert them: hourly wages are multiplied by 2,080 (40 hrs/week x 52 weeks), monthly by 12, weekly by 52, and bi-weekly by 26. The original wage unit is noted in the underlying data.
Why do some companies show very high or low salaries?
Extreme values can result from data entry errors in DOL filings, part-time positions, short-term contracts, or specialized roles. We display the data as reported. Median wages are often more representative than averages for this reason.
Where does the data come from?
All data is sourced from public disclosure files published by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). These files are freely available on the DOL website.