Tammy Meckley, Associate Director, Immigration Records and Identity Services Directorate for USCIS | https://www.dhswatchlist.com/
Tammy Meckley, Associate Director, Immigration Records and Identity Services Directorate for USCIS | https://www.dhswatchlist.com/
This represents an approval rate of 100%, which is higher than the nationwide average.
In 2024, the average approval rate for H-2A petitions across the U.S. stood at 98.8%, slightly higher than 2023's 98.4%.
Employers are classified under industries based on their reported operations and may be involved in multiple industries.
The H-2A visa program allows U.S. employers to hire foreign workers for temporary or seasonal agricultural jobs when enough domestic workers are unavailable. Employers must demonstrate a short-term need and that hiring foreign workers will not negatively affect U.S. workers' wages or working conditions. These jobs must first be offered to U.S. workers, and both domestic and H-2A workers must receive at least the highest of the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) or other wage benchmarks.
The Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting industry led the H-2A petition approvals in the ND North News publication area during 2024, filing a total of 171 petitions (99.4% of all submissions) and receiving 171 approvals, resulting in an approval rate of 100%. The Other Services (except Public Administration) industry followed, with one petition (0.6% of all submissions) and an approval rate of 100%.
The local employers with most temporary visa requests during 2024 included United Agronomy, LLC, which filed 39 petitions with an approval rate of 100%, Absolute Honey, LLC with 15 petitions and an approval rate of 100%, and CHS, Inc., which filed 11 petitions with an approval rate of 100%.
Compared to 2023, ND North News publication area saw an 11.4% decrease in the number of seasonal agricultural visas 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.
Due to manual data entry and the use of paper forms by applicants or petitioners, occasional discrepancies in employer names, tax IDs, locations, or other details may be found in the H-2A Employer Data Hub provided by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which is the data used in this article. Despite these potential issues, USCIS works to ensure accuracy.
| Rank | Industry | Total Petitions | % of All Submissions | % Approved | % Denied |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 171 | 99.4% | 100% | 0% |
| 2 | Other Services (except Public Administration) | 1 | 0.6% | 100% | 0% |
| Company Name | Industry | Total Petitions | % Approved | % Denied |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Agronomy, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 39 | 100% | 0% |
| Absolute Honey, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 15 | 100% | 0% |
| CHS, Inc. | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 11 | 100% | 0% |
| Botno Bee Company, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 8 | 100% | 0% |
| Wade Billadeau Farms | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 8 | 100% | 0% |
| Melin Grain and Livestock Farm, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 7 | 100% | 0% |
| Gunter Honey, Inc. | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 6 | 100% | 0% |
| Volk Honey, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 6 | 100% | 0% |
| Andrew Mau | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 5 | 100% | 0% |
| Redding Farms, Inc. | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 5 | 100% | 0% |
| Bulldog Honey Farms, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Darrell Rice | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Stephanie Roark | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| David Larry Leavitt | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Equipment Picker | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Michael Brekhus | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Levi Wald | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Stacy ARTZ | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Matthew Peterson | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Border Agent and Energy | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Lucas ARTZ | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Ryan Latendresse | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Peter ARTZ | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Buynak Farms, Inc. | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Michael Striha | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Feland Brothers Farms | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Birdsall Grain and Seed, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Haaland Grain Farms | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Patrick Beau Deschamp | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Kelly Volochenko | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Nikolaisen, LLP | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Chandler Vollmer | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Fritel Farm | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Stacey Roberts Farms, Inc. | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Stacey Roberts | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Jarred Billadeau | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Trevor Melin | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Brokenleg Ranch | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Mcconnell Farms | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Jeff Melin Farm | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Frontier Agent Service, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Eric Anderson | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Nathan J Blessum | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| AL Jacobson | Other Services (except Public Administration) | 1 | 100% | 0% |
Information in this story was obtained from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The source data can be found here.
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