East Central Reporter

In 2024, nine of the 10 H-1B petitions submitted by employers classified under the Educational Services industry located across East Central Reporter publication area were approved, according to data provided by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services via the H-1B Employer Data Hub.

This represents an approval rate of 90%, which is lower than the average in Illinois across all industries.

That year, the statewide average approval rate for H-1B petitions stood at 98.7%, slightly higher than 2023's 98%. Across the publication area, employers across all industries submitted 55 petitions during the same period, with an approval rate of 96.4%.

For comparison, the U.S. reported an average approval rate of 98% in 2024.

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. 

While the Health Care and Social Assistance industry led the H-1B filings with 29 petitions, representing 52.7% of all submissions in 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.

The employers in the Educational Services sector in East Central Reporter publication area included Eastern Illinois University with seven petitions, Eastern Illinois Area Special Education, and Eastern Illinois University with one petition each during 2024.

Eastern Illinois University and Eastern Illinois Area Special Education with one other employer led the industry in the publication area with the highest approval rate of 100% each.

Compared to 2023, the Educational Services sector saw a 9.1% decrease in the number of H-1B petitions across East Central Reporter publication area 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 Professionals PA	Health Care and Social Assistance	4	100%	0%
Dental Health Associates of Texas, PC	Health Care and Social Assistance	4	75%	25%
Tennessee Dental Professionals, PC	Health Care and Social Assistance	2	100%	0%
Crawford Hospital District	Health Care and Social Assistance	2	100%	0%
Quirt Family Dentistry School	Health Care and Social Assistance	2	100%	0%
Wisconsin Dental Group S C	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	100%	0%
Northland Dental Partners	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	100%	0%
My Dentist Wichita P a	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	100%	0%
Lifetime Dental Professionals of N		1	100%	0%
Killeen and Heights Dental Centers	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	100%	0%
K Jasinski PC, D.M.D.	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	100%	0%
Illinois Eastern Community Colleges	Educational Services	1	0%	100%
Ihi Turbo America Company	Manufacturing	1	100%	0%
Hospital and Medical Foundation of Paris, Inc.	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, PC	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, PC	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%
Associated Dental Care Providers, PC	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	100%	0%