Holland Reporter

In 2024, 129 of the 130 H-1B petitions submitted by employers based in the Holland Reporter publication area were approved, according to data provided by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services via the H-1B Employer Data Hub.

This represents an approval rate of 99.2%, which is higher 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 Michigan across all industries submitted 11,845 petitions during the same period, with an approval rate of 98.2%.

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 Manufacturing industry led H-1B petition approvals in the Holland Reporter publication area during 2024, filing a total of 56 petitions (43.1% of all submissions) and receiving 55 approvals, resulting in an approval rate of 98.2%. The Educational Services industry followed, with 34 petitions (26.2% 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 Meijer Great Lakes Limited Partnership with 29 petitions and all of them approved, Grand Valley State University with 20 petitions and all of them approved, and LG Energy Solution Michigan, Inc. with 16 petitions filed and an approval rate of 100%.

Compared to 2023, Michigan saw an 8.4% 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	% 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 Partnership	Wholesale Trade	29	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, Inc.	Manufacturing	7	100%	0%
J R Automation Technologies, LLC	Manufacturing	4	100%	0%
Motus, LLC	Manufacturing	4	100%	0%
L 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%
Grandville Calvin Christian Schools	Educational Services	2	100%	0%
The Society for Christian Instruction of Zeeland Mich	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%