You would not ship code against a spec you have never read. Yet many H-1B workers never see the document that sets their minimum pay. It is called the Labor Condition Application (LCA).

The H-1B program lets U.S. employers hire foreign workers for roles that require a bachelor's degree or higher in a specific field, or its equivalent. The Department of Labor (DOL) must certify an LCA before the employer can file the H-1B petition. In it, the employer promises a wage and other job terms.

This post is from Aimpex Resources Group LLC, an ERP and IT staffing firm in Lincoln, NE. Our careers page says H-1B roles are weighed against "wage and worksite requirements," among other factors. So wage rules are part of our daily reading.

What went wrong in the Reddit post?

In July 2025, someone shared this story in Reddit's r/h1b community. Their H-1B job had started in October 2024. They wrote that their employer had not paid the prevailing wage since then.

The employer had not shared the documents either. The worker had to look up the LCA on their own. Only then did they see that their pay was lower than the LCA stated. They now had a new job offer and wanted to know what to do first.

One reply pointed to a basic rule: "The employer must give a copy of the LCA to each H-1B worker." Let's start with that rule.

Must the employer hand you a copy?

Yes. The rule sits in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), at 20 CFR 655.734(a)(3).

By the date you report to work, the employer must give you a copy of the LCA. It must be certified by DOL's Employment and Training Administration (ETA) and signed by the employer. If you ask, the employer must also give you the cover pages, Form ETA 9035CP.

That makes the first move simple. Ask HR in writing for your certified LCA. Keep a copy of the request.

Where else does the LCA live?

Every H-1B employer keeps a public access file. Under 20 CFR 655.760(a), it must be ready within one working day after the LCA is filed. It is kept at the employer's main U.S. office or at the place of employment.

DOL Fact Sheet #62F lists what goes in that file. Some of the items are:

  • the LCA itself
  • the rate of pay for the H-1B worker
  • a summary of the employer's actual wage system
  • the prevailing wage rate and its source
  • a summary of benefits

Anyone may view the file, not only you. The employer does not have to hand out copies to the public. But DOL says visitors must be allowed to record the details, such as by "transcription, scanning, or taking photographs."

Can you search DOL's public data?

Often, yes. DOL's Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) posts LCA "disclosure data" as Excel files. The files follow the federal fiscal year, which runs from October 1 to September 30. As of this writing, the newest file covers decisions from October 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026.

Some fields are missing on purpose. DOL removes personal data such as worker names and addresses. It also removes the employer's tax ID, the Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN). Long text fields like job duties are left out. Cases still in process do not appear yet.

If you know your LCA case number, a few lines of Python can find the row. This version needs no column names. It is slow on a big file, but it is simple.

# pip install pandas openpyxl import pandas as pd # Download the LCA disclosure file for the right fiscal year from # https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign-labor/performance df = pd.read_excel("lca_disclosure.xlsx", dtype=str) case_no = "PASTE-YOUR-CASE-NUMBER" match = df.apply(lambda row: row.str.contains(case_no, regex=False, na=False).any(), axis=1) print(df[match].T) # one field per line, easy to read

How do you read the wage on an LCA?

Look at 20 CFR 655.731(a). You must be paid at least the higher of two numbers:

  • The actual wage. This is what the employer pays others with similar experience and qualifications in the same job.
  • The prevailing wage. This is the wage for the occupation in the area of intended employment, set when the LCA is filed.

Now compare the LCA with your pay stubs. Check the pay unit too. A yearly figure and an hourly figure are easy to mix up.

The same rule covers more than salary. It also includes the duty to offer benefits to H-1B workers, under the terms the rule sets.

What if your pay is lower than the LCA?

Get advice from an immigration attorney first. A complaint and a job change can affect each other, so plan them together.

LCA complaints go to DOL's Wage and Hour Division (WHD). Under 20 CFR 655.806:

  • No special form is needed. A complaint must be in writing, or WHD staff will write it down for you.
  • It must be filed within 12 months after the latest date of the violation.
  • Back wages can still reach further back than that year, if the complaint is on time.

The WHD helpline is 1-866-487-9243.

There is also a shield against payback. Under 20 CFR 655.801, an employer may not threaten, fire or blacklist a worker for reporting a likely violation. That covers former workers too. An H-1B worker who files a complaint about such retaliation "may be allowed to seek other appropriate employment" in the U.S., if they are otherwise eligible.

Where does Aimpex fit in?

Our careers page says: "Aimpex Resources H1B opportunities are evaluated against the position, candidate qualifications, wage and worksite requirements, and applicable filing rules." It adds a limit: "Corporate sponsorship does not guarantee registration selection, petition approval or a particular start date."

The banner "Verified Employer — STEM OPT & H1B Visa Pathways Supported" runs across our site. (STEM OPT is a work extension of up to 24 months for some F-1 graduates with science, technology, engineering or math degrees.) The same careers page notes: "Our E-Verify employer participation supports consideration of qualified graduates." Our pages also name us a "Direct Vendor for Bank of America." Our legal page is clear that this client link does not cover every role we fill, and it is not an endorsement of our site by the bank.

Sponsorship is never a promise of visa selection or approval.

What should you do this week?

  1. Ask HR in writing for your certified LCA and its cover pages.
  2. Find the wage, the pay unit and the work location on it.
  3. Compare that wage with your last few pay stubs.
  4. If they do not match, book time with an immigration attorney.

An LCA is the spec for your pay. Read it once, then store a copy next to your I-797 approval notice.

Sources

Aimpex Resources Group LLC does not give legal advice, and this post is not legal advice. As a staffing firm, we cannot judge a wage dispute. An immigration attorney should review your LCA, pay stubs and offer letter together. If you are on F-1 status or STEM OPT, your school's Designated School Official (DSO) is also a key contact.

Aimpex Resources Group LLC, based in Lincoln, NE since 2025, works in ERP Architecture, Supply Chain Analytics and IT Staffing Solutions. For H-1B professionals who want to check their wage terms, aimpexresources.com describes how we support qualified technical resources through active corporate sponsorship and STEM OPT pathways.