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/
This represents an approval rate of 98.7%, 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 Finance and Insurance industry led H-1B petition approvals in the Minneapolis Review publication area during 2024, filing a total of 651 petitions (43.2% of all submissions) and receiving 648 approvals, resulting in an approval rate of 99.5%. The Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services industry followed, with 253 petitions (16.8% of all submissions) and an approval rate of 96%.
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 US Bank National Association with 472 petitions and 99.8% of them approved, University of Minnesota with 185 petitions and 99.5% of them approved, and Best Buy Company, Inc. with 132 petitions filed and an approval rate of 100%.
Compared to 2023, Minnesota saw a 5.6% 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 | Finance and Insurance | 651 | 43.2% | 99.5% | 0.5% |
| 2 | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 253 | 16.8% | 96% | 4% |
| 3 | Educational Services | 241 | 16% | 99.2% | 0.8% |
| 4 | Retail Trade | 162 | 10.7% | 99.4% | 0.6% |
| 5 | Health Care and Social Assistance | 61 | 4% | 95.1% | 4.9% |
| 6 | Manufacturing | 35 | 2.3% | 100% | 0% |
| 7 | Information | 24 | 1.6% | 100% | 0% |
| 8 | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 22 | 1.5% | 100% | 0% |
| 9 | Utilities | 8 | 0.5% | 100% | 0% |
| 10 | Construction | 6 | 0.4% | 100% | 0% |
| 10 | Other Services (except Public Administration) | 6 | 0.4% | 100% | 0% |
| 12 | Wholesale Trade | 5 | 0.3% | 100% | 0% |
| 13 | Management of Companies and Enterprises | 3 | 0.2% | 100% | 0% |
| 14 | Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 2 | 0.1% | 100% | 0% |
| 15 | Public Administration | 1 | 0.1% | 100% | 0% |
| 15 | Accommodation and Food Services | 1 | 0.1% | 100% | 0% |
| 15 | Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 1 | 0.1% | 100% | 0% |
| 15 | Transportation and Warehousing | 1 | 0.1% | 100% | 0% |
| Company Name | Industries | Total Petitions | % Approved | % Denied |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Bank National Association | Finance and Insurance, Management of Companies and Enterprises | 472 | 99.8% | 0.2% |
| University of Minnesota | Educational Services, Health Care and Social Assistance | 185 | 99.5% | 0.5% |
| Best Buy Company, Inc. | Retail Trade | 132 | 100% | 0% |
| RBC Capital Markets, LLC | Finance and Insurance | 93 | 100% | 0% |
| University of Minnesota Physicians | Health Care and Social Assistance | 28 | 100% | 0% |
| Elavon, Inc. | Finance and Insurance | 24 | 100% | 0% |
| Target Enterprise, Inc. | Retail Trade | 24 | 100% | 0% |
| DC Group, Inc. | Manufacturing | 23 | 100% | 0% |
| Deluxe Corporation | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 22 | 100% | 0% |
| Minneapolis Public Schools | Educational Services | 18 | 100% | 0% |
| Turnberry Solutions, 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% |
| Oremda Infotech, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 14 | 92.9% | 7.1% |
| Iziel Healthcare, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 13 | 100% | 0% |
| Allina Health System | Health Care and Social Assistance | 13 | 92.3% | 7.7% |
| Sleep Number Corporation | Retail Trade | 12 | 91.7% | 8.3% |
| Strategic Education, Inc. | Educational Services | 12 | 100% | 0% |
| Param Technologies, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 12 | 91.7% | 8.3% |
| Yinghua Academy | Educational Services | 11 | 100% | 0% |
| Idom, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 11 | 100% | 0% |
| Talech, Inc. | Information, Finance and Insurance | 11 | 100% | 0% |
| Sezzle, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 10 | 100% | 0% |
| Phdata, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 10 | 100% | 0% |
| Royal Bank of Canada | Finance and Insurance | 9 | 88.9% | 11.1% |
| WSB, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 9 | 100% | 0% |
| Hennepin Healthcare System, Inc. | Health Care and Social Assistance | 9 | 100% | 0% |
| Horizontal Integration, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 9 | 100% | 0% |
| Bento Technologies, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 9 | 100% | 0% |
| Ucare Minnesota | Finance and Insurance | 8 | 100% | 0% |
| Piper Sandler and Company | Finance and Insurance | 7 | 100% | 0% |
| Provation Software, Inc. | Information | 7 | 100% | 0% |
| Phaedon, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 6 | 100% | 0% |
| Allianz Technology of America, Inc. | Finance and Insurance | 6 | 100% | 0% |
| Datasite, LLC | Information | 6 | 100% | 0% |
| Xcel Energy Services, Inc. | Utilities | 5 | 100% | 0% |
| Ryan Companies US, Inc. | Construction | 5 | 100% | 0% |
| Fish and Richardson, P C | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 5 | 60% | 40% |
| National Marrow Donor Program | Health Care and Social Assistance | 5 | 100% | 0% |
| FSV Payment Systems, Inc. | Finance and Insurance | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Hammel Green and Abrahamson, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 4 | 75% | 25% |
| Research and Diagnostic Systems, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Thrivent Financial for Lutherans | Finance and Insurance | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Aim Academy of Science and Technol | Educational Services | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Amplifon USA, Inc. | Manufacturing, Wholesale Trade | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Longevity Holdings, Inc. | Finance and Insurance | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Augsburg University | Educational Services | 3 | 66.7% | 33.3% |
| Best Academy a K a Harvest Best Ac | Educational Services | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Ovative Group, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Center for Energy and Environment | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Merchant and Gould, P. C. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Childrens Health Care | Health Care and Social Assistance | 3 | 66.7% | 33.3% |
| SPS Commerce, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Schwegman Lundberg and Woessner PA | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| School Services | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Delphix, Corp. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Hennepin Schools | Educational Services | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Minneapolis VA Health Care System | Health Care and Social Assistance | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Make, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 50% | 50% |
| Itasca Consulting Group, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Navs Technologies, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Net Lift Insights, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Netspi, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Novel Energy Solutions, LLC | Utilities | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Parallel, LLC | Wholesale Trade | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Perforce Software, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| RBC Global Asset Management US, Inc. | Finance and Insurance | 2 | 50% | 50% |
| Russell Herder GBC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| US Bancorp Investments, Inc. | Finance and Insurance | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Wilson Law Group, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 50% | 50% |
| WSB Associates, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Yco US, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Zepto Life Technology, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Frontline Biotechnologies, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Gravie, Inc. | Finance and Insurance | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis | Finance and Insurance | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Castlelake L P | Finance and Insurance | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Carmichael Lynch, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Colliers Securities, LLC | Finance and Insurance | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Icario, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Cuningham Group Architecture, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Elan TC, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Atomic Data, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Ab Carval Investors L P | Finance and Insurance | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| ID Insight, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Dorsey and Whitney, LLP | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Cliftonlarsonallen, LLP | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Sun Country, Inc. | Transportation and Warehousing | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Code42 Software, Inc. | Information | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Stoc Advisory | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Stinson, LLP | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Regulatory Technology Services | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Codeweavers, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| So Good Brand, Inc. | Manufacturing | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Representative Commerce, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Coen Partners, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Colle and Mcvoy, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Set Academy School | Educational Services | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Serveminnesota | 1 | 100% | 0% |
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