Three steps
1) Find the SOC occupation code that matches your role (it's on the LCA / your offer paperwork — use the code, not the marketing title). 2) Use your worksite location (where you actually work, not the HQ). 3) Compare your offered salary to the prevailing wage at the level that fits the job.
If your offer is below the level that matches the work, that's a negotiating signal — and for H-1B/E-3/H-1B1 it may be an LCA violation.
If it's below the floor
Ask the employer, in writing, to raise the base to at least the prevailing wage. Keep copies of the offer and any pay stubs. If it isn't corrected, you can file a confidential WH-4 complaint with the DOL Wage and Hour Division — back wages below the prevailing wage are recoverable.
తరచుగా అడిగే ప్రశ్నలు
- What if my employer says the offer is fine?
- The required wage is the higher of the prevailing wage and what they pay similar workers. Ask for the figure in writing and verify it on the DOL data yourself.
- Does this apply to OPT?
- OPT has no legal prevailing-wage requirement, but the figure is still a strong market benchmark — and STEM-OPT employers attest pay is commensurate with similar U.S. workers.