Take the H1-B salary and increase that by 30%-50% to get what you should be shooting for.
I remember when my university applied for H1-B on my behalf back in 2001, their prevailing wage for software engineers was <$30K/annum.
I remember when my university applied for H1-B on my behalf back in 2001, their prevailing wage for software engineers was <$30K/annum.
The prevailing wage is always way lower (and a joke, basically), satisfying their obligation to pay greater than or equal to, but that is not the interesting part of this data.
To be clear - this isn't a link to the LCA data (although each application includes it). This is actual individual salaries that were approved to a worker.
Another thing to keep in mind is that (in theory) prevailing wage data reflects market wages (i.e. all types of engineers) not just those on a visa. Whether or not this is actually what happens is something I have not idea about.
So in theory the LCA data should be a good datum to start your salary negotiations on. However it should be tempered by current market conditions, location and most importantly your own position in the negotiations. Its always easier to negotiate from a position of strength. When you are looking to provide for your family, insurance, rent/mortgage etc and are unemployed, negotiating may or may not work depending on how desperate you are.