This represents an approval rate of 97.9%, 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 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services industry led H-1B petition approvals in Maine during 2024, filing a total of 136 petitions (41.6% of all submissions) and receiving 132 approvals, resulting in an approval rate of 97.1%. The Health Care and Social Assistance industry followed, with 80 petitions (24.5% of all submissions), receiving approvals for all of them.
Employers are classified under industries based on their reported operations and may be involved in multiple industries.
The Maine employers with the most approvals during 2024 included The Jackson Laboratory, filing a total of 37 petitions and receiving approvals for all of them, and Eastern Maine Medical Center, which filed 34 petitions and received approvals for all of them.
Compared to 2023, Maine saw a 6.2% 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 Petitions | % Approved | % Denied |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 136 | 41.6% | 132 | 97.1% | 2.9% |
| 2 | Health Care and Social Assistance | 80 | 24.5% | 80 | 100% | 0% |
| 3 | Educational Services | 73 | 22.3% | 72 | 98.6% | 1.4% |
| 4 | Finance and Insurance | 16 | 4.9% | 16 | 100% | 0% |
| 5 | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 9 | 2.8% | 9 | 100% | 0% |
| 6 | Utilities | 3 | 0.9% | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| 7 | Manufacturing | 2 | 0.6% | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| 8 | Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 1 | 0.3% | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 8 | Public Administration | 1 | 0.3% | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 8 | Other Services (except Public Administration) | 1 | 0.3% | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 8 | Accommodation and Food Services | 1 | 0.3% | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 8 | Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 1 | 0.3% | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 13 | Information | 2 | 0.6% | 0 | 0% | 100% |
| Rank | Company Name | Industry(ies) | Total Petitions | Approved Petitions | % Approved | % Denied |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Jackson Laboratory | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 37 | 37 | 100% | 0% |
| 2 | Eastern Maine Medical Center | Health Care and Social Assistance | 34 | 34 | 100% | 0% |
| 3 | Rite Pros, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 33 | 31 | 93.9% | 6.1% |
| 4 | University of Maine | Educational Services | 30 | 30 | 100% | 0% |
| 5 | SRI Sai, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 23 | 22 | 95.7% | 4.3% |
| 6 | Idexx Laboratories, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 16 | 16 | 100% | 0% |
| 7 | Colby College | Educational Services | 14 | 14 | 100% | 0% |
| 8 | Bowdoin College | Educational Services | 12 | 12 | 100% | 0% |
| 9 | Wex, Inc. | Finance and Insurance | 11 | 11 | 100% | 0% |
| 10 | Mainehealth | Health Care and Social Assistance | 8 | 8 | 100% | 0% |
| 11 | The Aroostook Medical Center | Health Care and Social Assistance | 6 | 6 | 100% | 0% |
| 11 | SPI Global US, Inc. | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 6 | 6 | 100% | 0% |
| 13 | Mount Desert Island Hospital | Health Care and Social Assistance | 4 | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| 13 | Central Maine Medical Center | Health Care and Social Assistance | 4 | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| 13 | Emburse, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 4 | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| 13 | Bates College | Educational Services | 4 | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| 13 | The Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 4 | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| 13 | University of New England | Educational Services | 4 | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| 13 | Woodard and Curran, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 4 | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| 20 | St. Joseph Hospital | Health Care and Social Assistance | 3 | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| 20 | Wex Health, Inc. | Finance and Insurance; Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 3 | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| 22 | St. Mary S Regional Medical Center | Health Care and Social Assistance | 2 | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| 22 | RLC Engineering, PLLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| 22 | Competitive Energy Services, LLC | Utilities | 2 | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| 22 | Chenmark Capital Management, LLC | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 2 | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| 22 | Mind Your Mouth PA, LLC | Health Care and Social Assistance | 2 | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| 22 | Bridgton Hospital | Health Care and Social Assistance | 2 | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| 22 | Penobscot Community Health Care | Health Care and Social Assistance | 2 | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| 22 | Arkatechture | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| 22 | Pierce Atwood, LLP | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| 31 | Rumford Hospital | Health Care and Social Assistance | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 31 | RW Gillespie and Associates, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 31 | Richardson and Associates | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 31 | Regional School Unit 1 | Educational Services | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 31 | Sawyer Enterprises, LLC | Manufacturing | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 31 | Serenity Residential Care, LLC | Health Care and Social Assistance | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 31 | Spectrum Healthcare Partners | Health Care and Social Assistance | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 31 | The Opportunity Alliance | Health Care and Social Assistance | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 31 | The via Group, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 31 | TRC Engineers, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 1 | 50% | 50% |
| 31 | Tristan, LLC | Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 31 | True Trusty Dental Group, LLC | Health Care and Social Assistance | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 31 | Veritas Prime, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 31 | Wright-Pierce | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 31 | Acadia Hospital | Health Care and Social Assistance | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 31 | Acadia Medical ARTS Anesthesia, LLC | Health Care and Social Assistance | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 31 | Airbnb, Inc. | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 31 | Allegiance Financial Group, Inc. | Finance and Insurance | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 31 | Androscoggin Savings Bank | Finance and Insurance | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 31 | Auto Europe, LLC | Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 31 | Bangor Savings Bank | Finance and Insurance | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 31 | Brann Isaacson, LLP | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 31 | Central Maine Dental, PC | Health Care and Social Assistance | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 31 | Central Maine Growth Council | Public Administration | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 31 | Central Maine Power Company | Utilities | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 31 | City of Lewiston School Department | Educational Services | 2 | 1 | 50% | 50% |
| 31 | City of South Portland | Educational Services | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 31 | College of the Atlantic | Educational Services | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 31 | Defend Our Health | Other Services (except Public Administration) | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 31 | Emerald Hospitality, LLC | Accommodation and Food Services | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 31 | FHC, Inc. | Manufacturing | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 31 | Health Access Network, Inc. | Health Care and Social Assistance | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 31 | Husson University | Educational Services | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 31 | John Bapst Memorial High School | Educational Services | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 31 | L'Ecole Francaise Du Maine | Educational Services | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 31 | Maine Coast Regional Health Facilities | Health Care and Social Assistance | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 31 | Maine College of ART and Design | Educational Services | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 31 | Maine School Administrative District No 27 | Educational Services | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 31 | Mainegeneral Medical Center | Health Care and Social Assistance | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 31 | Mercy Hospital | Health Care and Social Assistance | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 31 | Redington Fairview General Hospital | Health Care and Social Assistance | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 72 | Maine Trust for Local News L3C | Information | 2 | 0 | 0% | 100% |