East Central Reporter

Employers classified under the Health Care and Social Assistance industry based within the East Central Reporter publication area, submitted 29 H-1B petitions during 2024, according to data provided by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services via the H-1B Employer Data Hub. Of these, 28 were approved (96.6%), while one was denied (3.4%).

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 Central Reporter publication area submitted 55 petitions during the same period, achieving an approval rate of 96.4%.

While the Health Care and Social Assistance industry led the H-1B filings with 29 petitions, representing 52.7% of all submissions in the East Central Reporter publication area during 2024, the next largest contributor was the Manufacturing industry, which accounted for 15 petitions and represented 27.3% of the total. Among petitions from employers in the Manufacturing industry, all were approved.

In 2024, the East Central Reporter publication area employer with the most petitions categorized under the Health Care and Social Assistance sector was Comfortable Care Dental Health Pro, which filed three petitions with an approval rate of 100%.

Compared to 2023, the Health Care and Social Assistance sector in the East Central Reporter publication area saw a 31% 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	Health Care and Social Assistance	29	52.7%	96.6%	3.4%
2	Manufacturing	15	27.3%	100%	0%
3	Educational Services	10	18.2%	90%	10%

Company Name	Industry	Total Petitions	% Approved	% Denied
North American Lighting, Inc.	Manufacturing	14	100%	0%
Eastern Illinois University	Educational Services	8	100%	0%
Comfortable Care Dental Health Pro	Health Care and Social Assistance	3	100%	0%
Tennessee Dental Professionals, PC	Health Care and Social Assistance	2	100%	0%
Quirt Family Dentistry School	Health Care and Social Assistance	2	100%	0%
Crawford Hospital District	Health Care and Social Assistance	2	100%	0%
Dental Health Associates of Texas	Health Care and Social Assistance	2	100%	0%
Dental Health Associates of Texas, PC	Health Care and Social Assistance	2	50%	50%
Hospital and Medical Foundation of	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	100%	0%
Ihi Turbo America Company	Manufacturing	1	100%	0%
Illinois Eastern Community Colleges	Educational Services	1	0%	100%
K Jasinski PC, D.M.D.	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	100%	0%
Killeen and Heights Dental Centers	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	100%	0%
Lifetime Dental Professionals of N		1	100%	0%
My Dentist Wichita P a	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	100%	0%
Northland Dental Partners	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	100%	0%
Wisconsin Dental Group S C	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	100%	0%
Eastern Illinois Area Special Education	Educational Services	1	100%	0%
Dental Professionals of Washington Quirt Mongrain Gibree, PC	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	100%	0%
Dental Professionals of Virginia P	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	100%	0%
Dental Professionals of South Caro	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	100%	0%
Dental Professionals of Maine, PC	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	100%	0%
Dental Professionals of Kansas, PC	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	100%	0%
Dental Professionals of Illinois P	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	100%	0%
Dental Professionals of Georgia, PC	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	100%	0%
Connecticut Dental Professionals P	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	100%	0%
Comfortable Care Dental Health Professionals PA	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	100%	0%
Associated Dental Care Providers P	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	100%	0%