What is ‘proffered wage’ in the EB-2?

The proffered wage is the salary an employer commits to pay a foreign worker for the position offered in an EB-2 petition. It appears in the categories that require a job offer and labor certification, and it serves to document the concrete terms of the role.

This offered salary must be in line with the prevailing wage, which is the market reference for that occupation and geographic area, determined by the U.S. Department of Labor. The rationale is to protect the domestic labor market by ensuring that hiring foreign workers does not undercut local wages.

In the EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) the situation is different. Because this pathway waives the job offer and the labor certification requirement, there is typically no employer offering a position and, therefore, no proffered wage to establish. The concept remains central to the EB-2 subcategories that do require labor certification, but not in this self-petition route.

Since the requirements for each pathway may change and are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, confirm the details with the official source and, if needed, validate how your situation fits with a trusted immigration professional.

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Victoria Harper

Editor-in-Chief

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As a journalist and lead editor at Visto n’ Visa, Victoria helps ensure that immigration topics are covered in a clear, trustworthy, and easy-to-understand way. Her focus is on delivering useful, human, and relevant content for people exploring new paths abroad.