Tennessee sees 1,038 H-1B petitions from employers classified under the Manufacturing industry during 2024

Employers classified under the Manufacturing industry based in Tennessee submitted 1,038 H-1B petitions during 2024, according to data provided by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services via the H-1B Employer Data Hub.

Of these, 1,016 were approved (97.9%), while 22 were denied (2.1%).

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, Tennessee employers across all industries submitted 4,665 petitions during the same period, achieving an approval rate of 98.4%.

The Manufacturing industry led the H-1B filings in Tennessee during 2024, with 1,038 petitions (22.3% of all submissions), and an approval rate of 97.9%. Meanwhile, the Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services industry was the second largest contributor, filing 997 petitions (21.4% of the total), with an approval rate of 97.3%.

The Tennessee employers which made the most petitions in the Manufacturing sector during 2024 included Cummins, Inc. with 718 petitions and Cummins Emission Solutions, Inc. with 41 petitions.

Compared to 2023, the Manufacturing sector in Tennessee saw a 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	1,038	22.3%	97.9%	2.1%
2	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	997	21.4%	97.3%	2.7%
3	Health Care and Social Assistance	827	17.7%	98.8%	1.2%
4	Finance and Insurance	556	11.9%	99.8%	0.2%
5	Educational Services	375	8%	98.7%	1.3%
6	Transportation and Warehousing	320	6.9%	99.1%	0.9%
7	Retail Trade	179	3.8%	100%	0%
8	Management of Companies and Enterprises	131	2.8%	97.7%	2.3%
9	Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services	100	2.1%	96%	4%
10	Wholesale Trade	47	1%	100%	0%
11	Information	44	0.9%	100%	0%
12	Public Administration	14	0.3%	100%	0%
13	Construction	9	0.2%	100%	0%
14	Other Services (except Public Administration)	8	0.2%	87.5%	12.5%
15	Accommodation and Food Services	5	0.1%	100%	0%
16	Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction	4	0.1%	100%	0%
16	Real Estate and Rental and Leasing	4	0.1%	100%	0%
18	Utilities	3	0.1%	100%	0%
19	Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation	2	0%	100%	0%
19	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	2	0%	50%	50%

Rank	Company Name	Total Petitions	% Approved	% Denied
1	Cummins, Inc.	718	97.4%	2.7%
2	Cummins Emission Solutions, Inc.	41	95.1%	4.9%
3	Cummins Filtration, Inc.	26	96.2%	3.9%
3	Smith and Nephew, Inc.	26	100%	0%
5	International Paper	14	100%	0%
6	Eastman Chemical Company	12	100%	0%
6	Quanta Manufacturing Nashville, LLC	12	100%	0%
8	The Heil Company	11	100%	0%
9	Meritor Electric Vehicles, LLC	10	100%	0%
10	Akzo Nobel Coatings, Inc.	7	100%	0%
11	Delek US Energy, Inc.	6	100%	0%
11	Permobil, Inc.	6	100%	0%
11	SL Tennessee, LLC	6	100%	0%
11	SL America Corporation	6	100%	0%
11	Huf North America Automotive Parts Manufacturing, Corp.	6	100%	0%
11	Wonder Porcelain Group, LLC	6	100%	0%
11	Bridgestone Americas, Inc.	6	100%	0%
18	Astec Industries, Inc.	5	100%	0%
18	Highly Marelli USA, Inc.	5	100%	0%
20	Smith & Nephew, Inc.	4	100%	0%
20	CMH Services, Inc.	4	100%	0%
20	Kirchhoff Automotive Manchester in	4	100%	0%
20	Kasai North America, Inc.	4	100%	0%
20	Designed Conveyor Systems, LLC	4	100%	0%
20	Kaiser Aluminum Fabricated Product	4	100%	0%
26	Nucor Steel Memphis, Inc.	3	100%	0%
26	LG Electronics USA, Inc.	3	100%	0%
28	Mlily USA, Inc.	2	100%	0%
28	International Paint, LLC	2	100%	0%
28	Alon USA LLC, GP	2	100%	0%
28	Gibson, Inc.	2	100%	0%
28	Avanti Corporation	2	100%	0%
28	NP Corporate Services, LLC	2	100%	0%
28	Mars Petcare US, Inc.	2	100%	0%
28	Minth Tennessee International, LLC	2	100%	0%
28	Buckman Laboratories International	2	100%	0%
28	Genesco, Inc.	2	100%	0%
28	Astec, Inc.	2	100%	0%
28	Meritor Heavy Vehicle Systems, LLC	2	100%	0%
40	Saargummi Tennessee, Inc.	1	100%	0%
40	Bonnell Aluminum, Inc.	1	100%	0%
40	Nashville Record Pressing, LLC	1	100%	0%
40	ITG, LLC	1	100%	0%
40	Mahle Powertrain, LLC	1	100%	0%
40	Fiberweb, LLC	1	100%	0%
40	ARCH Plastics Packaging, LLC	1	100%	0%
40	Mckenzie Valve and Machining, LLC	1	100%	0%
40	Hankook & Company Es America Corporation	1	100%	0%
40	Talos Engineered Products, LLC	1	100%	0%
40	Roadtec Industries	1	100%	0%
40	Bioenergy Development Group, LLC	1	100%	0%
40	Mueller Streamline Company	1	100%	0%
40	Louisiana-Pacific Corporation	1	100%	0%
40	Chattem, Inc.	1	100%	0%
40	Onyx Medical D B a Elos Medtec, LLC	1	100%	0%
40	Aluma-Form, Inc.	1	100%	0%
40	Mckee Foods Corporation and Affili	1	100%	0%
40	Good Wood Nashville, LLC	1	100%	0%
40	Surface Dynamics, LLC	1	100%	0%
40	Reinhausen Manufacturing, Inc.	1	100%	0%
40	Avkare, LLC	1	100%	0%
40	Louisiana Pacific Corporation	1	100%	0%
40	Eagle Bend Manufacturing, Inc.	1	100%	0%
40	Censis Technologies, Inc.	1	100%	0%
40	Kaiser Aluminum Washington, LLC	1	100%	0%
40	MBT Systems, LLC	1	100%	0%
40	Super Grip Corporation	1	100%	0%
40	Rebo Lighting and Electronics, LLC	1	100%	0%
40	Mirage Granito Ceramico U S a, Inc.	1	100%	0%
40	Dynamic Prosthetic and Orthotic D B a Prosthetic and Orthotic Associates of Tennessee, LLC	1	100%	0%
40	Sinomax East, Inc.	1	100%	0%
40	Buckman Laboratories International, Inc.	1	100%	0%
40	Kaiser Aluminum Investments Company	1	100%	0%
40	Gestamp Chattanooga, LLC	1	100%	0%
40	Sumiden Wire Products Corporation	1	100%	0%
40	Rebo Lighting & Electronics, LLC	1	100%	0%
40	Crown Laboratories, Inc.	1	100%	0%
40	Shades Unlimited, Inc.	1	100%	0%
40	Nile Automotive Group Tennesse, LLC	1	100%	0%
40	3sae Technologies, Inc.	1	100%	0%
40	Marelli North America, Inc.	1	100%	0%
40	SPX Aids to Navigation, LLC	1	100%	0%
40	CP and P Special, LLC	1	100%	0%
40	Henry Pratt Company, LLC	1	100%	0%
40	Sekisui Kasei U S a, Inc.	1	100%	0%
40	Denso Manufacturing Tennessee, Inc.	1	100%	0%
40	NGK Metals Corporation	1	100%	0%
40	K T G USA, Inc.	1	100%	0%
40	Malibu Boats, LLC	1	100%	0%
40	Genera Energy, Inc.	1	100%	0%
40	Conveyorman, Inc.	1	100%	0%
40	Pharma Packaging Solutions, LLC	1	100%	0%
40	Arsenal Strength, LLC	1	100%	0%
40	Harrow Health, Inc.	1	100%	0%