Holland Reporter

Employers classified under the Educational Services industry based within the Holland Reporter publication area, submitted 34 H-1B petitions during 2024, according to data provided by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services via the H-1B Employer Data Hub. All of these petitions were approved.

Employers are classified under industries based on their reported operations and may be involved in multiple industries.

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 average approval rate for H-1B petitions across the United States in 2024 stood at 98%, slightly higher than 2023's 97.3%. Locally, employers across all industries located within the Holland Reporter publication area submitted 130 petitions during the same period, achieving an approval rate of 99.2%.

The Manufacturing industry led the H-1B filings in the Holland Reporter publication area during 2024, with 56 petitions (43.1% of all submissions), and an approval rate of 98.2%. Meanwhile, the Educational Services industry was the second largest contributor, filing 34 petitions (26.2% of the total), with an approval rate of 100%.

The Holland Reporter publication area employers with the most petitions categorized under the Educational Services sector during 2024 included Grand Valley State University, which filed 19 petitions with an approval rate of 100%, Hope College with eight petitions and an approval rate of 100%, and Grand Haven Christian School, which filed three petitions with an approval rate of 100%.

Compared to 2023, the Educational Services sector in the Holland Reporter publication area saw a 17.2% 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	Manufacturing	56	43.1%	98.2%	1.8%
2	Educational Services	34	26.2%	100%	0%
3	Wholesale Trade	21	16.2%	100%	0%
4	Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services	2	1.5%	100%	0%
4	Other Services (except Public Administration)	2	1.5%	100%	0%
6	Transportation and Warehousing	1	0.8%	100%	0%
6	Management of Companies and Enterprises	1	0.8%	100%	0%
6	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	0.8%	100%	0%

Company Name	Industries	Total Petitions	% Approved	% Denied
Meijer Great Lakes Limited Partner	Wholesale Trade	27	100%	0%
Grand Valley State University	Educational Services	20	100%	0%
LG Energy Solution Michigan, Inc.	Manufacturing	16	100%	0%
Hope College	Educational Services	8	100%	0%
Challenge Manufacturing Holdings I	Manufacturing	5	100%	0%
J R Automation Technologies, LLC	Manufacturing	4	100%	0%
Motus, LLC	Manufacturing	4	100%	0%
L Perrigo Company D B a Perrigo Company	Manufacturing	3	100%	0%
Millerknoll, Inc.	Manufacturing	3	100%	0%
Grand Haven Christian School	Educational Services	3	100%	0%
Gentex Corporation	Manufacturing	3	100%	0%
Padagis US, LLC	Manufacturing	3	100%	0%
Spartannash Associates, LLC	Wholesale Trade	3	100%	0%
Engineered Glass a Division of Mag	Manufacturing	2	100%	0%
Challenge Manufacturing Holdings, Inc.	Manufacturing	2	100%	0%
Grandville Calvin Christian School	Educational Services	2	100%	0%
Meijer Great Lakes Limited Partnership	Wholesale Trade	2	100%	0%
The Society for Christian Instruct	Educational Services, Other Services (except Public Administration)	2	100%	0%
Mission Design and Automation, LLC	Manufacturing	1	100%	0%
ODL, Inc.	Manufacturing	1	100%	0%
Ottawa Area Intermediate School	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	100%	0%
Magna Services of America, Inc.	Manufacturing	1	100%	0%
Shape, Corp.	Manufacturing	1	100%	0%
JSJ Corporation	Management of Companies and Enterprises	1	100%	0%
J Mark Systems, LLC	Manufacturing	1	100%	0%
Infinite Automation Corporation	Other Services (except Public Administration)	1	100%	0%
Illinois Tool Works, Inc.	Manufacturing	1	100%	0%
Haworth, Inc.	Manufacturing	1	0%	100%
Drug and Laboratory Disposal, Inc.	Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services	1	100%	0%
Debest, Inc.	Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services	1	100%	0%
Buhlerprince, Inc.	Manufacturing	1	100%	0%
Automatic Spring Products Corporat	Transportation and Warehousing	1	100%	0%
Aspen Surgical Products, Inc.	Manufacturing	1	100%	0%
Altron Automation Group, Inc.	Manufacturing	1	100%	0%
Allegan Public Schools	Educational Services	1	100%	0%
Accutest Systems, Inc.	Manufacturing	1	100%	0%