Ur Mendoza Jaddou, Director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (left) and Jennifer B. Higgins, Deputy Director. | https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/organization/leadership
Ur Mendoza Jaddou, Director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (left) and Jennifer B. Higgins, Deputy Director. | https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/organization/leadership
This represents an approval rate of 98.2%, which is higher than the nationwide average.
That year, the average approval rate for H-1B petitions across the U.S. stood at 98%, slightly higher than the 97.3% recorded in 2023. Statewide, employers in Minnesota across all industries submitted 4,583 petitions during the same period, with an approval rate of 98.6%.
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 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services industry led H-1B petition approvals in the South Hennepin News publication area during 2024, filing a total of 738 petitions (62.9% of all submissions) and receiving 722 approvals, resulting in an approval rate of 97.8%. The Retail Trade industry followed, with 129 petitions (11% of all submissions) and an approval rate of 100%.
Employers are classified under industries based on their reported operations and may be involved in multiple industries.
The employers that filed the most petitions in the area during 2024 included Optum Services, Inc. with 424 petitions and 98.8% of them approved, Best Buy Company, Inc. with 132 petitions and all of them approved, and Arcus Technologies with 48 petitions filed and an approval rate of 100%.
Compared to 2023, Minnesota saw a 17.9% decrease 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 | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 738 | 62.9% | 97.8% | 2.2% |
| 2 | Retail Trade | 129 | 11% | 100% | 0% |
| 3 | Manufacturing | 87 | 7.4% | 98.9% | 1.1% |
| 4 | Finance and Insurance | 50 | 4.3% | 98% | 2% |
| 5 | Information | 49 | 4.2% | 95.9% | 4.1% |
| 6 | Health Care and Social Assistance | 38 | 3.2% | 100% | 0% |
| 7 | Educational Services | 17 | 1.4% | 100% | 0% |
| 8 | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 14 | 1.2% | 100% | 0% |
| 9 | Wholesale Trade | 11 | 0.9% | 100% | 0% |
| 10 | Construction | 4 | 0.3% | 75% | 25% |
| 10 | Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 4 | 0.3% | 100% | 0% |
| 10 | Other Services (except Public Administration) | 4 | 0.3% | 100% | 0% |
| 10 | Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 4 | 0.3% | 100% | 0% |
| 10 | Utilities | 4 | 0.3% | 100% | 0% |
| 15 | Transportation and Warehousing | 2 | 0.2% | 100% | 0% |
| Company Name | Industries | Total Petitions | % Approved | % Denied |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Optum Services, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 424 | 98.8% | 1.2% |
| Best Buy Company, Inc. | Retail Trade | 132 | 100% | 0% |
| Arcus Technologies | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 48 | 100% | 0% |
| NCS Pearson, Inc. | Information | 35 | 97.1% | 2.9% |
| Group Health Plan, Inc. | Health Care and Social Assistance | 28 | 100% | 0% |
| General Mills, Inc. | Manufacturing | 24 | 100% | 0% |
| Cargill Incorporated | Manufacturing, Finance and Insurance | 24 | 100% | 0% |
| United Healthcare Services, Inc. | Finance and Insurance | 19 | 94.7% | 5.3% |
| Concord USA, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 18 | 100% | 0% |
| Logic Information Systems, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 18 | 100% | 0% |
| Maritz Consulting Group | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 15 | 100% | 0% |
| Oremda Infotech, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 14 | 92.9% | 7.1% |
| U S Electronics, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 14 | 92.9% | 7.1% |
| Rogers Freels Associates, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 11 | 100% | 0% |
| Smart Solutions, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 9 | 100% | 0% |
| WSB, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 9 | 100% | 0% |
| Horizontal Integration, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 9 | 100% | 0% |
| Javen Technologies, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 8 | 100% | 0% |
| Starkey Laboratories, Inc. | Manufacturing | 8 | 87.5% | 12.5% |
| Sankrish Consulting, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 7 | 85.7% | 14.3% |
| EVS, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 7 | 85.7% | 14.3% |
| Tennant Company | Wholesale Trade | 7 | 100% | 0% |
| Tekhops, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 7 | 100% | 0% |
| Synergy Software Solutions, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 7 | 100% | 0% |
| Allianz Technology of America, Inc. | Finance and Insurance | 6 | 100% | 0% |
| Stratagem Consulting, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 6 | 66.7% | 33.3% |
| Matrixcare, Inc. | Information | 5 | 100% | 0% |
| Artius Solutions, LLC | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 5 | 100% | 0% |
| CWT US, LLC | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 5 | 100% | 0% |
| Alpine Techq, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 5 | 80% | 20% |
| The Toro Company | Manufacturing, Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 5 | 100% | 0% |
| Danfoss Power Solutions II, LLC | Manufacturing | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Taj Technologies, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Systek, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Independent School District 270 Hopkins | Educational Services | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Life Time, Inc. | Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Wunderlich Malec Engineering, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| National Grid Renewables Development, LLC | Utilities | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Optum Care, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services, Health Care and Social Assistance | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Open Access Technician INT, Inc. | Information | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Sick Product and Competence Center | Manufacturing | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Omtech, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Independent School District 272 D | Educational Services | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Fortra, LLC | Information | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Explicit Systems USA, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 3 | 33.3% | 66.7% |
| Nanoark Technology, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Westwood Professional Services, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Minnetonka Public Schools | Educational Services | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Blue Water Financial Technologies | Information, Finance and Insurance | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Vanco Payment Solutions, Inc. | Finance and Insurance | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Medica Services Company, LLC | Finance and Insurance | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Bracco AMT, Inc. | Manufacturing | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| C H Robinson Shared Services, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Third Wave Systems, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 3 | 66.7% | 33.3% |
| Convergeone, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Project Porsche Holding Corporation | Educational Services | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Radian Group, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Illumifin Corporation | Finance and Insurance | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Koerber Supply Chain US, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Minneapolis VA Health Care System | Health Care and Social Assistance | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Integrated Decisions and Systems, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Icario, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Integrhythm, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Monteris Medical Corporation | Manufacturing | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Ko Management, LLC | Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Net Lift Insights, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Northmarq Capital, LLC | Finance and Insurance | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Ab Carval Investors L P | Finance and Insurance | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Yco US, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Wyde Corporation | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| WSB Associates, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Wilkus Architects P a | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 50% | 50% |
| Avionte, LLC | Information | 2 | 50% | 50% |
| Usfaaf, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Cardinal Glass Industries, Inc. | Manufacturing | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Ceridian HCM, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Curi Holdings, Inc. | Finance and Insurance | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Dayforce US, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Digital River, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Donaldson Company, Inc. | Manufacturing | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Schoeneckers, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Euclid Power, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Robert Half, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Vanguard Contractors, Inc. | Construction | 1 | 0% | 100% |
| Optuminsight, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Virtual Matrix, Corp. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Optum Services Puerto Rico, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Wellmed Medical Group P a | Health Care and Social Assistance | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Whitebox Advisors, LLC | Finance and Insurance | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Sun Country, Inc. | Transportation and Warehousing | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| WHP Workflow Solutions, Inc. | Wholesale Trade | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Stallion Insurance Group, Inc. | Finance and Insurance | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Winnebago Industries, Inc. | Manufacturing | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Spring Forest Qigong Company, Inc. | Health Care and Social Assistance | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Silver Fox, LLC | Manufacturing | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Sharper Management, LLC | Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Yukon Partners Management, LLC | Finance and Insurance | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Academy of Holy Angels | Educational Services | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Redifcard Technologies, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Rainbow Companies | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 1 | 100% | 0% |
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