Of these, 233 were approved (97.1%), while seven were denied (2.9%).
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%, higher than 2023's 97.3%. Statewide, Virginia employers across all industries submitted 25,463 petitions during the same period, achieving an approval rate of 97.9%.
The Retail Trade industry led the H-1B filings in Virginia during 2024, with 11,590 petitions (45.5% of all submissions), and an approval rate of 98.2%. Meanwhile, the Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services industry was the second largest contributor, filing 7,435 petitions (29.2% of the total), with an approval rate of 96.8%.
The Virginia employers which made the most petitions in the Health Care and Social Assistance sector during 2024 included VCU Health System Authority with 36 petitions, Carilion Medical Center with 18 petitions, and Evolent Health, LLC with 14 petitions.
Compared to 2023, the Health Care and Social Assistance sector in Virginia saw a 1.3% 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 | Retail Trade | 11,590 | 45.5% | 98.2% | 1.9% |
| 2 | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 7,435 | 29.2% | 96.8% | 3.2% |
| 3 | Information | 3,519 | 13.8% | 98.6% | 1.5% |
| 4 | Finance and Insurance | 1,043 | 4.1% | 99.5% | 0.5% |
| 5 | Educational Services | 801 | 3.2% | 98.4% | 1.6% |
| 6 | Health Care and Social Assistance | 240 | 0.9% | 97.1% | 2.9% |
| 7 | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 229 | 0.9% | 99.1% | 0.9% |
| 8 | Manufacturing | 202 | 0.8% | 97.5% | 2.5% |
| 9 | Utilities | 69 | 0.3% | 100% | 0% |
| 10 | Other Services (except Public Administration) | 68 | 0.3% | 95.6% | 4.4% |
| 11 | Accommodation and Food Services | 54 | 0.2% | 98.2% | 1.9% |
| 12 | Construction | 49 | 0.2% | 91.8% | 8.2% |
| 13 | Wholesale Trade | 42 | 0.2% | 100% | 0% |
| 14 | Transportation and Warehousing | 35 | 0.1% | 100% | 0% |
| 15 | Public Administration | 30 | 0.1% | 100% | 0% |
| 16 | Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 18 | 0.1% | 100% | 0% |
| 17 | Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction | 16 | 0.1% | 100% | 0% |
| 18 | Management of Companies and Enterprises | 8 | 0% | 100% | 0% |
| 18 | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 8 | 0% | 87.5% | 12.5% |
| 20 | Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 7 | 0% | 100% | 0% |
Top Employers in Health Care and Social Assistance Industry in Virginia, 2024
| Rank | Company Name | Total Petitions | % Approved | % Denied |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | VCU Health System Authority | 36 | 100% | 0% |
| 2 | Carilion Medical Center | 18 | 100% | 0% |
| 3 | Evolent Health, LLC | 14 | 100% | 0% |
| 4 | Inova Health Care Services D B a I | 13 | 100% | 0% |
| 5 | Riverside Physician Services D, Inc. | 9 | 100% | 0% |
| 6 | Bayview Physician Services, PC | 7 | 100% | 0% |
| 7 | Sentara Healthcare D B a Sentara N | 6 | 100% | 0% |
| 7 | Valley Health System | 6 | 100% | 0% |
| 9 | The University of VA Physicians Group | 5 | 100% | 0% |
| 9 | Centra Medical Group, LLC | 5 | 100% | 0% |
| 9 | Augusta Medical Group | 5 | 100% | 0% |
| 12 | Inova Health System | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| 12 | Bode Cellmark Forensics, Inc. | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| 12 | Sentara Medical Group | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| 15 | Children S Specialty Group, PLLC | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| 15 | Mary Washington Healthcare Physicians | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| 15 | James River Cardiology, LLC | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| 18 | Bon Secours Medical Group Richmond | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| 18 | Winchester Medical Center | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| 18 | Somatus, Inc. | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| 18 | Johnson Health Center | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| 18 | Best Smiles Dentist, PLLC | 2 | 50% | 50% |
| 18 | Microgen Health, Inc. | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| 18 | Capital Vision Services, LLC | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| 18 | Sentara Healthcare | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| 18 | Mary Washington Healthcare Physici | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| 18 | S R Health Care Services, Inc. | 2 | 50% | 50% |
| 18 | Mary Washington Healthcare | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Royal Family Community Services | 1 | 0% | 100% |
| 29 | Commonwealth of Virginia Central S | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | New River Valley Community Services | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Holistic Acupuncture at Mclean, LLC | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Kids Language ART, LLC | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Dunn Loring VA Opco, LLC | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | SR Health Care Services, Inc. | 1 | 0% | 100% |
| 29 | Centra Health D B a Centra Col, Inc. | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | PS Fertility, Inc. | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Augusta Healthcare, Inc. | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Martha Jefferson Medical Group, LLC | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Family Chiropractic of Springfield | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Thomas Acupuncture, Inc. | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | RNK, PLLC | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Collaborative Health Partners of V | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Bon Secours Medical Group Hampton | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Myeyedr Optometry of NC, PLLC | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Harrison House D B a Recovery, Inc. | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Wellspring of Hope, LLC | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Kairos Counseling, Inc. | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | DR Ruparelia and Associates-Cascad | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Carlin Springs SNF Operations | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Prospect Homecare Agency | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Anuja Ohri-Parikh PC, D.M.D. | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Lynchburg Nephrology Physicians, PLLC | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Fair Oaks SNF Operations, LLC | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | RMH Medical Group D B a Sentar, LLC | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Civitas Health Services, Inc. | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Multicultural Clinical Center | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Hampton Roads Proton Beam Therapy | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | VSP Dental, Inc. | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Doorways for Women and Families, Inc. | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Peninsula Pediatric Dentistry, PC | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Impact Dental Services, PLLC | 1 | 0% | 100% |
| 29 | Albemarle Physician Services - Sen | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Lightwave Dental Management, LLC | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Excel Rehabilitation and Physical | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Tangent Labs, LLC | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Chiron Physical Therapy of VA, LLC | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Gregory T Harvey PC, D.M.D. | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | DLP Twin County Physician Practice | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Parham Care Center, LLC | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Idealsmile, LLC | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Adult Care Center of the Northern Shenandoah Valley, Inc. | 1 | 0% | 100% |
| 29 | Liberty University | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Swva Dental Specialists | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Riverside Hospital D B a River, Inc. | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Behl Orthodontics, PLLC | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Greater Washington Endodontics, PC | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Danville Urologic Clinic | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Brookfield Dental Associates, LLC | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Nova Patient Care | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Hospice of the Piedmont, Inc. | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Zion Acupuncture, LLC | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Adam Filali PC D B a Dental BR, D.D.S. | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Lansdowne Mental Health Services P | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Epiphany Preschool, Inc. | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Sunrise Senior Living Management I | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Chesapeake Hospital Authority | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Riverside Health System | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | GD VA, PLLC | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Uva Community Health | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Danville Regional Medical Center D B a Sovah Health Danville, LLC | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Bowling Green SNF, LLC | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | NGS Infonet, Inc. | 1 | 0% | 100% |
| 29 | Hope in Home Care, LLC | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Woodburn Endoscopy Center, PLLC | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Korean Community Service Center of | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Ecompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Fredericksburg, LLC | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | St. Paul United Methodist Church in | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Rehabilitation Hospital Corporation of Americas, LLC | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Friendly City Psychology, PLLC | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 29 | Thriveworks Administrative Service | 1 | 100% | 0% |