The US Department of Labor proposed an 18-month delay to a final prevailing wage rule for holders of H-1B and certain other visas. The delay aims to give the department time to consider the rule’s legal and policy issues thoroughly. It also plans to issue a request for public comments on methods for determining wage levels.

The proposal was published March 22 in the Federal Register.

While the final rule was set to take effect on March 15, it had previously been delayed until May 14. The delay announced last week would push it back to Nov. 14, 2022.

Opponents of the rule had argued the significant increase would have hampered the H-1B program.