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 97.4%, which is lower 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 Illinois across all industries submitted 20,166 petitions during the same period, with an approval rate of 98.7%.
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 West Cook News publication area during 2024, filing a total of 118 petitions (34.4% of all submissions) and receiving 117 approvals, resulting in an approval rate of 99.2%. The Manufacturing industry followed, with 84 petitions (24.5% 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 Onward Technologies, Inc. with 26 petitions and 96.2% of them approved, MSR Technology Group, LLC with 20 petitions and all of them approved, and Interlake Mecalux, Inc., SBA Acquisition Group and Insurance Auto Auctions, Inc. with 11 petitions each.
Compared to 2023, Illinois saw a 4.7% increase 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 | 118 | 34.4% | 99.2% | 0.8% |
| 2 | Manufacturing | 84 | 24.5% | 100% | 0% |
| 3 | Wholesale Trade | 30 | 8.7% | 93.3% | 6.7% |
| 4 | Health Care and Social Assistance | 27 | 7.9% | 100% | 0% |
| 5 | Management of Companies and Enterprises | 14 | 4.1% | 100% | 0% |
| 6 | Educational Services | 13 | 3.8% | 61.5% | 38.5% |
| 7 | Finance and Insurance | 10 | 2.9% | 100% | 0% |
| 8 | Construction | 9 | 2.6% | 100% | 0% |
| 9 | Other Services (except Public Administration) | 8 | 2.3% | 87.5% | 12.5% |
| 9 | Accommodation and Food Services | 8 | 2.3% | 100% | 0% |
| 11 | Information | 7 | 2% | 100% | 0% |
| 12 | Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 3 | 0.9% | 100% | 0% |
| 13 | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 2 | 0.6% | 100% | 0% |
| 13 | Transportation and Warehousing | 2 | 0.6% | 100% | 0% |
| 15 | Public Administration | 1 | 0.3% | 100% | 0% |
| Company Name | Industries | Total Petitions | % Approved | % Denied |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Onward Technologies, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 26 | 96.2% | 3.8% |
| MSR Technology Group, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 20 | 100% | 0% |
| Interlake Mecalux, Inc. | Manufacturing | 11 | 100% | 0% |
| SBA Acquisition Group | Manufacturing | 11 | 100% | 0% |
| Insurance Auto Auctions, Inc. | Wholesale Trade | 11 | 90.9% | 9.1% |
| Wintrust Financial Corporation | Management of Companies and Enterprises | 10 | 100% | 0% |
| Institute of Gas Technology | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 10 | 100% | 0% |
| Svanaco, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 8 | 100% | 0% |
| Riverpoint Management, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 8 | 100% | 0% |
| Resilience Healthcare Chicago Graduate Education Foundation | Educational Services | 8 | 37.5% | 62.5% |
| Avalign Technologies, Inc. | Manufacturing | 7 | 100% | 0% |
| Brainlab, Inc. | Manufacturing | 7 | 100% | 0% |
| Ingredion Incorporated | Manufacturing | 7 | 100% | 0% |
| Metro Infectious Disease Consultants | Health Care and Social Assistance | 7 | 100% | 0% |
| The Martin Brower Company, LLC | Accommodation and Food Services | 6 | 100% | 0% |
| Intelligent Medical Objects, Inc. | Information | 6 | 100% | 0% |
| Hydro Extrusion USA, LLC | Manufacturing | 5 | 100% | 0% |
| Life Fitness, LLC | Wholesale Trade | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Ritchie Bros Auctioneers America, Inc. | Wholesale Trade | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Planet Equity Group | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Sterling Engineering, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Pbits, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Progress Rail Locomotive, Inc. | Manufacturing | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| United Electronics Inc., Corp. | Manufacturing | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Kuvare Corporate Management, LLC | Management of Companies and Enterprises | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| CJ Logistics America, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Popular Bank | Finance and Insurance | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| US Foods, Inc. | Wholesale Trade | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Resilience Healthcare - West Subur | Health Care and Social Assistance | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Escarpita Construction Company, Inc. | Construction, Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Loyola University Medical Center | Health Care and Social Assistance | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Midtronics, Inc. | Manufacturing | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Veqtor, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Cimpar S C | Health Care and Social Assistance | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| West Suburban Medical Center | Health Care and Social Assistance | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| LA Marche Manufacturing Company | Manufacturing | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Illinois Conference of Seventh Day Adventists | Other Services (except Public Administration) | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Nuvomed, Inc. | Wholesale Trade | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Unique Wealth Strategies, Inc. | Finance and Insurance | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Holistic Health Partners, Inc. | Health Care and Social Assistance | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Reyes Holdings, LLC | Transportation and Warehousing | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Trek Labs, Inc. | Finance and Insurance | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Cadence Mcshane Construction Company, LLC | Construction | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Capstone Development Services Company, LLC | Manufacturing | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Caresoft Global, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Fathers of St. Charles | Other Services (except Public Administration) | 2 | 50% | 50% |
| Loyola University Chicago | Educational Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Sharma Associates, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Encore Group USA, LLC | Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Dynamic Manufacturing, Inc. | Manufacturing | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Lutheran Social Services of IL | Other Services (except Public Administration) | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Christopher B Burke Engineering, Ltd. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Merz and Associates, PC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| D2 Dental of Michigan, P C | Health Care and Social Assistance | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Sterlite Software USA, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Conexus Food Solutions, LLC | Wholesale Trade | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Cotter Consulting, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Pillars Community Health | Health Care and Social Assistance | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Paramount Advertising and Lead Sol | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Novacare Services, Inc. | Health Care and Social Assistance | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Nord ARMS USA, Inc. | Manufacturing | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| XM Data Strategies, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Wondfo USA Company, Ltd. | Manufacturing | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Wintrust Asset Finance, Inc. | Management of Companies and Enterprises | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Voyant Beauty, LLC | Manufacturing | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Validation and Technical Services | Manufacturing | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| The Boyd Group US, Inc. | Other Services (except Public Administration) | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Synergy Technology Group D B a, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Society for Vascular Surgery | Other Services (except Public Administration) | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Sloan Global Holdings, LLC | Manufacturing | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Sig Combibloc, Inc. | Manufacturing | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Sievert Electric Service and Sales Company, Inc. | Public Administration | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Serviam Diagnostics Lab, LLC | Health Care and Social Assistance | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| RG Construction Services, Inc. | Construction | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Realty of Chicago, LLC | Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| RCM Industries, Inc. | Manufacturing | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Projeo Corporation | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Preferred Risk Insurance Services, Inc. | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Eos Mechanical, Inc. | Construction | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Duraco Specialty Tapes, LLC | Manufacturing | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Dunker Ringwood Automation, LLC | Manufacturing | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Dominican University | Educational Services | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Dometic Corporation | Manufacturing | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| D2 Dental of Illinois, PC | Health Care and Social Assistance | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| D and D Dental, LLC | 1 | 100% | 0% | |
| Culligan International Company | Manufacturing | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Christopher Glass and Aluminum, Inc. | Construction | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| BRG Sports, Inc. | 1 | 100% | 0% | |
| Bond Consultants Group, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| BGRS | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Bazaar, Inc. | Wholesale Trade | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Apex Logistics International, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Anning-Johnson Company | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| American Orthopedic Foundation | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Alpha Baking Company, Inc. | Manufacturing | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Alin Machining Company, Inc. | Manufacturing | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Afable Accounting and Computer Service | 1 | 100% | 0% | |
| Abna of Illinois, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 1052 Partners, Inc. | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 4wealth Financial Group, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1 | 100% | 0% |
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