Wage data
All wages come from the Department of Labor's Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) file OFLC_Wages_2026-27.zip (All Industries, ALC_Export.csv), effective July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027. It covers 848 SOC occupations across 530 wage areas. This is the same data the FLAG Wage Search shows. Hourly wages are converted to annual by multiplying by 2,080 hours, as DOL does. Thresholds are rounded up to the next dollar so a displayed minimum is never short.
Universities, affiliated non-profits and government research organizations use separate ACWIA wage tables. They are also generally cap-exempt and don't register in the lottery, so we don't show those tables.
The wage-level rule
Under the weighted selection rule (DHS final rule, 90 FR 60864, effective February 27, 2026), a registration's wage level is the highest OEWS level the proffered wage equals or exceeds for the SOC code and area of intended employment. Level I to IV gives 1 to 4 entries. A wage below Level I is entered once. With multiple worksites, or multiple registrations for the same person, the lowest level applies.
Odds
We show DHS's own projections from the final rule: 15.29% (I), 30.58% (II), 45.87% (III), 61.16% (IV). They were derived from five years of historical registrations. Real odds depend on the number and mix of registrations each year. In FY 2027 eligible registrations fell to 211,600 from 343,981, so realized rates were higher than projected. USCIS has not published official per-level selection rates.
Pending changes we are watching
The Department of Labor proposed on March 27, 2026 to raise all four wage levels (Level I from about the 17th to the 34th percentile, Level IV from the 67th to the 88th). It is not final as of 2026-10-14. If a final rule takes effect before a registration season, we will rebuild every page with the new levels. See our guide to the proposed rule.
Limits
- We don't decide your SOC code. It must match your real duties, and your employer files it on the LCA.
- "High Wage" occupations (for example many physicians) and a few others have no published levels. We show them as unavailable.
- Data is refreshed once a year when DOL publishes the new wage year (July 1).
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