Except as provided by subsection (b) of this section, the minimum limit on monthly compensation for disability under section 8112 of this title and the minimum limit on monthly pay on which death compensation is computed under section 8133 of this title do not apply in the case of a noncitizen employee, or a class or classes of noncitizen employees, who sustain injury outside the continental United States. The Secretary of Labor may establish a minimum monthly pay on which death compensation is computed in the case of a class or classes of such noncitizen employees.

The President may remove or modify the minimum limit on monthly compensation for disability under section 8112 of this title and the minimum limit on monthly pay on which death compensation is computed under section 8133 of this title in the case of an alien employee, or a class or classes of alien employees, of the Canal Zone Government or the Panama Canal Company.