Washington, October 15, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
A Republican lawmaker has introduced legislation in the US House of Representatives seeking to raise the salary threshold that allows certain H-1B-dependent employers to bypass specific protections for American workers, potentially increasing costs for Indian IT companies and affecting skilled foreign professionals.
The proposed legislation, H.R. 10799, was introduced on October 13 by Representative Glenn Grothman of Wisconsin and referred to the House Judiciary Committee. It currently has no co-sponsors.
The bill is the House counterpart to S. 5638, the Protecting American Workers Through H-1B Modernisation Act, introduced by Senator Jon Husted of Ohio on September 30. With proposals now introduced in both chambers, the initiative has gained a bicameral presence, though neither measure has advanced beyond introduction.
Under current law, employers classified as H-1B-dependent must generally attest that they have first sought qualified American workers before sponsoring additional H-1B employees. However, an exemption applies if the foreign worker earns at least $60,000 annually or holds a master’s degree or higher.
The $60,000 threshold was established in 1998 and has remained unchanged. H.R. 10799 would replace the fixed amount with a standard linked to twice the Social Security Administration’s national average wage index, which Grothman’s office estimates would put the threshold at nearly $140,000 today.
“American workers should come first in their own country,” Grothman said in a statement, arguing that employers should not be able to rely on a salary threshold set nearly three decades ago to avoid protections for qualified US workers.
Husted similarly criticised the unchanged threshold, saying it had not been revised since 1998 and describing it as a loophole rather than modernisation.
Indian nationals account for the largest share of H-1B visa recipients, while major Indian and Indian-origin IT services companies are among the employers potentially affected by changes to the rules governing H-1B-dependent businesses.
The proposal faces a lengthy legislative path. The House is scheduled to remain out of session until after the November 3 midterm elections, making movement on the bill before then unlikely.
The measure is part of a broader series of congressional proposals targeting H-1B employment practices. Representative Beth Van Duyne of Texas introduced H.R. 10643 on October 1, seeking to increase penalties for the wilful displacement of American workers to $250,000.
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