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%, which is lower than the nationwide average.
In 2024, the average approval rate for H-1B petitions across the U.S. stood at 98%, slightly higher than the 97.3% recorded in 2023.
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 South Dakota during 2024, filing a total of 429 petitions (47.1% of all submissions) and receiving 428 approvals, resulting in an approval rate of 99.8%. The Health Care and Social Assistance industry followed, with 214 petitions (23.5% of all submissions), receiving 196 approvals and an approval rate of 91.6%.
Employers are classified under industries based on their reported operations and may be involved in multiple industries.
The South Dakota employers with the most approvals during 2024 included Wells Fargo Bank, N A, filing a total of 447 petitions and receiving 446 approvals, resulting in an approval rate of 99.8%, and Sanford Clinic, which filed 50 petitions and received approvals for all of them.
Compared to 2023, South Dakota saw an 11.4% 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 Petitions | % Approved | % Denied |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finance and Insurance | 429 | 47.1% | 428 | 99.8% | 0.2% |
| 2 | Health Care and Social Assistance | 214 | 23.5% | 196 | 91.6% | 8.4% |
| 3 | Educational Services | 160 | 17.6% | 154 | 96.3% | 3.8% |
| 4 | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 51 | 5.6% | 50 | 98% | 2% |
| 5 | Manufacturing | 9 | 1% | 9 | 100% | 0% |
| 6 | Public Administration | 3 | 0.3% | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| 6 | Information | 3 | 0.3% | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| 8 | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 0.2% | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| 9 | Wholesale Trade | 1 | 0.1% | 0 | 0% | 100% |
| Rank | Company Name | Industry(ies) | Total Petitions | Approved Petitions | % Approved | % Denied |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wells Fargo Bank, N A | Finance and Insurance | 447 | 446 | 99.8% | 0.2% |
| 2 | Sanford Clinic | Health Care and Social Assistance | 50 | 50 | 100% | 0% |
| 3 | South Dakota State University | Educational Services | 49 | 48 | 98% | 2% |
| 4 | Sanford | Health Care and Social Assistance | 43 | 35 | 81.4% | 18.6% |
| 5 | Sanford Health | Health Care and Social Assistance | 30 | 29 | 96.7% | 3.3% |
| 6 | Avera Mckennan | Health Care and Social Assistance | 23 | 21 | 91.3% | 8.7% |
| 7 | My3tech, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 19 | 19 | 100% | 0% |
| 8 | Sioux Falls School District 49-5 | Educational Services | 17 | 17 | 100% | 0% |
| 8 | Todd County School District | Educational Services | 18 | 17 | 94.4% | 5.6% |
| 10 | Sicangu Oyate Ho, Inc. | Educational Services | 16 | 16 | 100% | 0% |
| 10 | Ultimus Solutions, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 16 | 16 | 100% | 0% |
| 12 | Sanford School of Medicine of the University of South Dakota Residency Corporation | Educational Services | 12 | 12 | 100% | 0% |
| 12 | Sanford Clinic North | Health Care and Social Assistance | 12 | 12 | 100% | 0% |
| 14 | Sanford Medical Center Fargo | Health Care and Social Assistance | 11 | 11 | 100% | 0% |
| 15 | Sanford Bismarck | Health Care and Social Assistance | 10 | 10 | 100% | 0% |
| 16 | Monument Health Rapid City Hospital, Inc. | Health Care and Social Assistance | 16 | 9 | 56.3% | 43.8% |
| 17 | Crow Creek Tribal School | Educational Services | 8 | 8 | 100% | 0% |
| 18 | Tiospaye Topa School | Educational Services | 6 | 6 | 100% | 0% |
| 18 | Wounded Knee District School | Educational Services | 6 | 6 | 100% | 0% |
| 18 | Augustana University | Educational Services | 6 | 6 | 100% | 0% |
| 21 | Tiospa Zina Tribal School | Educational Services | 5 | 5 | 100% | 0% |
| 21 | Raven Applied Technologies, LLC | Manufacturing | 5 | 5 | 100% | 0% |
| 23 | Wells Fargo Securities, LLC | Finance and Insurance | 4 | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| 23 | Avera St. Marys Hospital | Health Care and Social Assistance | 4 | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| 23 | Sanford Research | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 4 | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| 23 | Huron Regional Medical Center | Health Care and Social Assistance | 4 | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| 23 | Resource Infosoft, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 5 | 4 | 80% | 20% |
| 23 | Premier Bankcard, LLC | Finance and Insurance | 4 | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Mclaughlin School District 15-2 | Educational Services | 3 | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Lower Brule Day School | Educational Services | 3 | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Experity, Inc. | Health Care and Social Assistance | 3 | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Eagle Creek Software Services | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 3 | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| 33 | Sanford Health of Northern Minneso | Health Care and Social Assistance | 2 | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| 33 | Philip Health Services, Inc. | Health Care and Social Assistance | 2 | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| 33 | Pahin Sinte Owayawa | Educational Services | 2 | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| 33 | Midcontinent Communications | Information | 2 | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| 33 | Sonifi Solutions, Inc. | Manufacturing; Information | 2 | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| 33 | Dellait, LLC | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| 33 | Capital Card Services, Inc. | Finance and Insurance | 2 | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| 33 | Willow Lake School District 12-3 | Educational Services | 2 | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| 33 | Avera St. Luke'S Hospital | Health Care and Social Assistance | 2 | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| 42 | Sencore, Inc. | Manufacturing | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 42 | Sodak Labs, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 42 | Swift Technologies, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 42 | The Rushmore Group, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 42 | Thermo Bond Buildings, LLC | Manufacturing | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 42 | United Way of Vermillion | Health Care and Social Assistance | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 42 | Yankton Medical Clinic, PC | Health Care and Social Assistance | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 42 | Adams Thermal Systems, Inc. | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% | |
| 42 | Avera Health | Health Care and Social Assistance | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 42 | Bison School District 52-1 | Educational Services | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 42 | Bowdle School District 22 1 | Educational Services | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 42 | Carroll Institute | Health Care and Social Assistance | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 42 | Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe | Public Administration | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 42 | City of Rapid City | Public Administration | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 42 | Dacotah Bank Aberdeen | Finance and Insurance | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 42 | Dunlavy Contracting, LLC | Public Administration | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 42 | Eureka Community Benevolent Hospital | Health Care and Social Assistance | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 42 | Horizon Health Care, Inc. | Health Care and Social Assistance | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 42 | Kolberg-Pioneer, Inc. | Manufacturing | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 42 | Lemmon School District 52 4 | Educational Services | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 42 | Loneman School Isna Wica Owayawa | Educational Services | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 42 | Omnitech, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 42 | Otter Audits, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 42 | Prairie Lakes Healthcare System, Inc. | Health Care and Social Assistance | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 42 | Sanford Health Plan | Health Care and Social Assistance | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 67 | Eagle Butte School District 20 1 | Educational Services | 1 | 0 | 0% | 100% |
| 67 | JDS Industries, Inc. | Wholesale Trade | 1 | 0 | 0% | 100% |
| 67 | Little Wound School | Educational Services | 3 | 0 | 0% | 100% |
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