Ur Mendoza Jaddou, Director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. | https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/organization/leadership/ur-m-jaddou-director-us-citizenship-and-immigration-services
Ur Mendoza Jaddou, Director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. | https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/organization/leadership/ur-m-jaddou-director-us-citizenship-and-immigration-services
This represents an approval rate of 100%, which is higher than the nationwide average.
That year, 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 local employers with most temporary visa requests during 2024 included Quinones Custom Harvesting, which filed 27 petitions with an approval rate of 100%, PPI Harvesting, LLC with 26 petitions and an approval rate of 100%, and JWN Harvesting, LLC, which filed 23 petitions with an approval rate of 100%.
Compared to 2023, SW Kansas News publication area saw a 4.2% increase 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 | 344 | 99.7% | 100% | 0% |
| Company Name | Industry | Total Petitions | % Approved | % Denied |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quinones Custom Harvesting | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 27 | 100% | 0% |
| PPI Harvesting, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 26 | 100% | 0% |
| JWN Harvesting, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 23 | 100% | 0% |
| Stabel Enterprises, Inc. | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 22 | 100% | 0% |
| Kramer Harvesting, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 22 | 100% | 0% |
| Cimarron Valley Produce, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 22 | 100% | 0% |
| Vulgamore Land and Cattle Company, Inc. | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 19 | 100% | 0% |
| Southwest Fresh Potato, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 16 | 100% | 0% |
| ARCH Frink, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 15 | 100% | 0% |
| Tim Dewey Trucking Company | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 12 | 100% | 0% |
| Kells Farm Partnership | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 9 | 100% | 0% |
| Josserand Harvesting, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 9 | 100% | 0% |
| Hartland Farms | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 8 | 100% | 0% |
| Randall Schwanke Farms | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 7 | 100% | 0% |
| Turner Farms | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 7 | 100% | 0% |
| Skyland Grain, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 7 | 100% | 0% |
| 3V Transport, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 5 | 100% | 0% |
| Kopper Trucking | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 5 | 100% | 0% |
| Rockin a Ranch, Inc. | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 5 | 100% | 0% |
| 4 D Farms | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 5 | 100% | 0% |
| Wesley Nelson | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| CM Skinner Farms | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Thomas L Lahey | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| PDA Custom Harvesting, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Banner Farms Operating | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Every Season Farms, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Travis Fieser | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Wells Agent, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Tokoi Agent Partnership | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| L and E Farms | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| JR Leal Trucking, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Steve and Sara Schartz Farm JV | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Stegman Farms Partnership | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| D and a Farms | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Jerald a Riemann | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| R and S Farms | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Bloom Family Farms | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Gloria G Greeson | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Quality Hay, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Hineman Land and Cattle, Inc. | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Bridgeman Forage Harvesting | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Triple J Transport | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| L H Brown | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| VZQZ and Company, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Lamont Koehn | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Harshberger Enterprises | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Jay Alan, Inc. | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Jeffrey Newlon | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Big R Farms, Inc. | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Rustin Wettstein Farms | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Schmalzried Farms, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Schmalzried Seed, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| High Plains Silage, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Circle C Farms Harvesting | 1 | 100% | 0% | |
| Je Bar Trucking, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 4B Farms | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Brittan Ellis | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 1 | 100% | 0% |
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