Ted H. Kim, Associate Director Refugee, Asylum and International Operations Directorate for USCIS | https://www.naco.org/
Ted H. Kim, Associate Director Refugee, Asylum and International Operations Directorate for USCIS | https://www.naco.org/
Employers are classified under industries based on their reported operations and may be involved in multiple industries.
The H-1B visa program allows U.S. employers to temporarily hire foreign workers in specialty occupations requiring specialized knowledge and at least a bachelor’s degree or equivalent. It is designed to address skill gaps in the U.S. workforce while ensuring wage standards to protect both U.S. and H-1B workers. Employers must certify that they will pay H-1B workers wages equal to or greater than those of similarly qualified U.S. employees or the prevailing local wage.
The average approval rate for H-1B petitions across the United States in 2024 stood at 98%, slightly higher than 2023's 97.3%. Locally, employers across all industries located within the East Lake Norman News publication area submitted 398 petitions during the same period, achieving an approval rate of 98.5%.
While the Retail Trade industry led the H-1B filings with 219 petitions, representing 55% of all submissions in the East Lake Norman News publication area during 2024, the next largest contributor was the Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services industry, which accounted for 91 petitions and represented 22.9% of the total. Among petitions from employers in the Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services industry, 98.9% were approved and 1.1% were denied.
In 2024, the East Lake Norman News publication area employer with the most petitions categorized under the Wholesale Trade sector was American Tire Distributors, Inc., which filed five petitions with an approval rate of 100%.
Compared to 2023, the Wholesale Trade sector in the East Lake Norman News publication area saw an 11.1% increase in the number of H-1B petitions during 2024.
The United States admits around 1 million legal immigrants annually, most of whom receive permanent residence (green cards) through family sponsorship or employment-based visas. In 2023, about 1.2 million immigrants were granted green cards, a return to pre-pandemic levels. Temporary visa programs, such as the H-1B for highly skilled workers and H-2A for seasonal agricultural workers, also play a critical role in filling workforce needs.
Public opinion on immigration varies, with 46% of Americans favoring maintaining current legal immigration levels, according to a 2024 Pew Research Center survey. Additionally, 42% believe that highly skilled workers, such as scientists, doctors, and programmers, should be prioritized for legal immigration, compared to 25% who prioritize workers filling labor shortages and 19% who emphasize family sponsorship. Despite this, family sponsorship remains the most common path to permanent residency, accounting for 63% of green cards issued in 2023.
The data in this article comes from the H-1B Employer Data Hub provided by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). While USCIS strives for accuracy, manual data entry and errors on paper forms submitted by applicants or petitioners may result in discrepancies in employer names, tax IDs, locations, or other details.
| Rank | Industry | Total Petitions | % of All Submissions | % Approved | % Denied |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Retail Trade | 219 | 55% | 97.7% | 2.3% |
| 2 | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 91 | 22.9% | 98.9% | 1.1% |
| 3 | Manufacturing | 56 | 14.1% | 100% | 0% |
| 4 | Educational Services | 13 | 3.3% | 100% | 0% |
| 5 | Wholesale Trade | 10 | 2.5% | 100% | 0% |
| 6 | Transportation and Warehousing | 2 | 0.5% | 100% | 0% |
| 7 | Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 1 | 0.3% | 100% | 0% |
| 7 | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 1 | 0.3% | 100% | 0% |
| 7 | Health Care and Social Assistance | 1 | 0.3% | 100% | 0% |
| 7 | Construction | 1 | 0.3% | 100% | 0% |
| 7 | Information | 1 | 0.3% | 100% | 0% |
| Company Name | Industry | Total Petitions | % Approved | % Denied |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowes Companies, Inc. | Retail Trade | 219 | 97.7% | 2.3% |
| Trane Technologies Company, LLC | Manufacturing | 31 | 100% | 0% |
| Sasinfo, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 19 | 100% | 0% |
| Clicksoft Solutions, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 19 | 100% | 0% |
| Intverse, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 10 | 100% | 0% |
| Industrial Technologies and Servic | Manufacturing | 10 | 100% | 0% |
| Ingersoll-Rand Industrial US, Inc. | Manufacturing | 9 | 100% | 0% |
| Iredell-Statesville Schools | Educational Services | 8 | 100% | 0% |
| Unisys Infotech, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 7 | 100% | 0% |
| American Tire Distributors, Inc. | Wholesale Trade | 6 | 100% | 0% |
| Data Cloud Tek, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 5 | 80% | 20% |
| Arche Group, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 5 | 100% | 0% |
| Riese Cloud Tek, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Conversant Solutions, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Infoswift Software, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Structural Integrity Associates in | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Johnson C Smith University Incorpo | Educational Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Reacredence It Solutions, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Metrolina Greenhouses, Inc. | Manufacturing | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| I-77 Mobility Partners, LLC | Transportation and Warehousing | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Software Pricing Partners, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Global Group, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Value Technology, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Sid Tool Company, Inc. | Wholesale Trade | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Racanelli Construction Company, Inc. | Construction | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Profit Insight, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Torqata Data and Analytics, LLC | Information | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Proactive Dealer Solutions, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Power Probe Group, Inc. | Wholesale Trade | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Pester USA, Inc. | Wholesale Trade | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| One Brick Technician, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Nucleus Radiopharma, Inc. | Manufacturing | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Neighboring Concepts, PLLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Nederman Corporation | Wholesale Trade | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Lucid Drone Technologies, Inc. | Manufacturing | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Lake Norman Charter School, Inc. | Educational Services | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Johnson C Smith University Incorporated | Educational Services | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Iredell Statesville Schools | Educational Services | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Iredell Memorial Hospital, Inc. | Health Care and Social Assistance | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Iqmetrix USA, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Health Supply US, LLC | Manufacturing | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Globalfaces Direct, Corp. | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Colorid, LLC | Wholesale Trade | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Carolina Beverage Group, LLC | Manufacturing | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Biz Technology Solutions | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Badger Sportswear, LLC | Manufacturing | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 2311 Racing D B a 23xi Racing, LLC | Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 1 | 100% | 0% |
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