This represents an approval rate of 98.4%, which is higher 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 Information industry led H-1B petition approvals in Washington State during 2024, filing a total of 5,721 petitions (57.7% of all submissions) and receiving 5,665 approvals, resulting in an approval rate of 99%. The Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services industry followed, with 1,955 petitions (19.7% of all submissions), receiving 1,917 approvals and an approval rate of 98.1%.
Employers are classified under industries based on their reported operations and may be involved in multiple industries.
The Washington State employers with the most approvals during 2024 included Microsoft Corporation, filing a total of 4,769 petitions and receiving 4,724 approvals, resulting in an approval rate of 99.1%, and T-Mobile USA, Inc., which filed 409 petitions and received 407 approvals, resulting in an approval rate of 99.5%.
Compared to 2023, Washington State saw a 3.4% decrease 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 | Information | 5,721 | 57.7% | 5,665 | 99% | 1% |
| 2 | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1,955 | 19.7% | 1,917 | 98.1% | 1.9% |
| 3 | Health Care and Social Assistance | 466 | 4.7% | 438 | 94% | 6% |
| 4 | Manufacturing | 379 | 3.8% | 368 | 97.1% | 2.9% |
| 5 | Educational Services | 362 | 3.6% | 357 | 98.6% | 1.4% |
| 6 | Retail Trade | 343 | 3.5% | 338 | 98.5% | 1.5% |
| 7 | Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 159 | 1.6% | 157 | 98.7% | 1.3% |
| 8 | Finance and Insurance | 153 | 1.5% | 152 | 99.3% | 0.7% |
| 9 | Wholesale Trade | 69 | 0.7% | 68 | 98.6% | 1.4% |
| 10 | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 59 | 0.6% | 55 | 93.2% | 6.8% |
| 11 | Public Administration | 36 | 0.4% | 36 | 100% | 0% |
| 12 | Construction | 36 | 0.4% | 35 | 97.2% | 2.8% |
| 13 | Other Services (except Public Administration) | 32 | 0.3% | 31 | 96.9% | 3.1% |
| 14 | Transportation and Warehousing | 28 | 0.3% | 28 | 100% | 0% |
| 15 | Utilities | 16 | 0.2% | 16 | 100% | 0% |
| 16 | Accommodation and Food Services | 11 | 0.1% | 10 | 90.9% | 9.1% |
| 17 | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 9 | 0.1% | 9 | 100% | 0% |
| 18 | Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 5 | 0.1% | 5 | 100% | 0% |
| 19 | Management of Companies and Enterprises | 4 | ~0% | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| 20 | Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction | 1 | ~0% | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| Rank | Company Name | Industry(ies) | Total Petitions | Approved Petitions | % Approved | % Denied |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Microsoft Corporation | Information; Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 4,769 | 4,724 | 99.1% | 0.9% |
| 2 | T-Mobile USA, Inc. | Information | 409 | 407 | 99.5% | 0.5% |
| 3 | Expedia, Inc. | Information | 335 | 331 | 98.8% | 1.2% |
| 4 | University of Washington | Educational Services | 198 | 196 | 99% | 1% |
| 5 | Slalom, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 184 | 180 | 97.8% | 2.2% |
| 6 | Nordstrom, Inc. | Retail Trade; Transportation and Warehousing | 159 | 156 | 98.1% | 1.9% |
| 7 | Starbucks Coffee Company | Manufacturing | 126 | 125 | 99.2% | 0.8% |
| 8 | Battelle Memorial Institute | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 124 | 123 | 99.2% | 0.8% |
| 9 | Zillow, Inc. | Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 118 | 116 | 98.3% | 1.7% |
| 10 | F5, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 91 | 90 | 98.9% | 1.1% |
| 11 | Costco Wholesale Corporation | Retail Trade | 89 | 89 | 100% | 0% |
| 12 | Multicare Health System | Health Care and Social Assistance | 79 | 72 | 91.1% | 8.9% |
| 13 | Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center | Health Care and Social Assistance | 66 | 63 | 95.5% | 4.5% |
| 14 | Paccar, Inc. | Manufacturing | 60 | 57 | 95% | 5% |
| 15 | Remitly, Inc. | Manufacturing; Finance and Insurance | 55 | 54 | 98.2% | 1.8% |
| 16 | Washington State University | Educational Services | 49 | 49 | 100% | 0% |
| 17 | Edifecs, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 47 | 47 | 100% | 0% |
| 18 | Smartsheet, Inc. | Information | 44 | 44 | 100% | 0% |
| 18 | Zoominfo Technologies, LLC | Information | 44 | 44 | 100% | 0% |
| 20 | Relanto, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 38 | 38 | 100% | 0% |
| 20 | Lululemon USA, Inc. | Retail Trade | 38 | 38 | 100% | 0% |
| 22 | Peacehealth | Health Care and Social Assistance | 35 | 34 | 97.1% | 2.9% |
| 23 | C2S Technologies, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 32 | 32 | 100% | 0% |
| 24 | Harman Connected Services, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 32 | 31 | 96.9% | 3.1% |
| 24 | Coretek Labs, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 31 | 31 | 100% | 0% |
| 26 | Itron, Inc. | Manufacturing | 30 | 30 | 100% | 0% |
| 26 | Sel Engineering Services, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 30 | 30 | 100% | 0% |
| 28 | Accelalpha, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 29 | 29 | 100% | 0% |
| 28 | Aditi Consulting, LLC | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 31 | 29 | 93.5% | 6.5% |
| 30 | Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 28 | 28 | 100% | 0% |
| 30 | Ilink Systems, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 28 | 28 | 100% | 0% |
| 32 | Allen Institute | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 26 | 26 | 100% | 0% |
| 33 | Providence Health and Services Washington | Health Care and Social Assistance | 25 | 25 | 100% | 0% |
| 33 | Adroit Technologies and Cloud Solu | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 26 | 25 | 96.2% | 3.8% |
| 33 | Lasai Technologies, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 25 | 25 | 100% | 0% |
| 36 | Seattle Children S Hospital | Health Care and Social Assistance | 24 | 24 | 100% | 0% |
| 36 | Providence Health and Services | Health Care and Social Assistance | 24 | 24 | 100% | 0% |
| 38 | Avanade, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 25 | 23 | 92% | 8% |
| 38 | Tetra Systems, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 23 | 23 | 100% | 0% |
| 40 | Zen3 Infosolutions America, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 22 | 22 | 100% | 0% |
| 40 | Sea Mar Community Health Centers | Health Care and Social Assistance | 24 | 22 | 91.7% | 8.3% |
| 42 | Ge Energy Management Services, LLC | Manufacturing | 21 | 21 | 100% | 0% |
| 43 | Maq, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 20 | 20 | 100% | 0% |
| 44 | Centific Global Solutions, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 19 | 19 | 100% | 0% |
| 45 | Western Washington University | Educational Services | 18 | 18 | 100% | 0% |
| 45 | Lenora Systems, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 18 | 18 | 100% | 0% |
| 45 | Centific Technologies, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 19 | 18 | 94.7% | 5.3% |
| 45 | Omniva, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 18 | 18 | 100% | 0% |
| 49 | Premera Blue Cross | Finance and Insurance | 17 | 17 | 100% | 0% |
| 49 | People Technician Group, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 18 | 17 | 94.4% | 5.6% |
| 51 | Seattle University | Educational Services | 16 | 16 | 100% | 0% |
| 52 | Ecom Strategies, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 15 | 15 | 100% | 0% |
| 52 | Genius Minds, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 15 | 15 | 100% | 0% |
| 52 | CWC Travel, Inc. | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 16 | 15 | 93.8% | 6.3% |
| 52 | Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation | Other Services (except Public Administration) | 15 | 15 | 100% | 0% |
| 56 | Medical Management International, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 14 | 14 | 100% | 0% |
| 56 | Infoblox, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 16 | 14 | 87.5% | 12.5% |
| 56 | Ge Digital Holdings, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 14 | 14 | 100% | 0% |
| 56 | Nexturn, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 14 | 14 | 100% | 0% |
| 56 | Redfin Corporation | Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 14 | 14 | 100% | 0% |
| 56 | Fisher Asset Management, LLC | Finance and Insurance | 14 | 14 | 100% | 0% |
| 62 | Confiz, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 13 | 13 | 100% | 0% |
| 62 | Avalara, Inc. | Information | 14 | 13 | 92.9% | 7.1% |
| 62 | Puget Sound Energy, Inc. | Utilities | 13 | 13 | 100% | 0% |
| 62 | Russell Investments Group, LLC | Finance and Insurance | 13 | 13 | 100% | 0% |
| 62 | Wyze Labs, Inc. | Wholesale Trade | 13 | 13 | 100% | 0% |
| 67 | Aariya Technician, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 12 | 12 | 100% | 0% |
| 67 | Franciscan Medical Group | Health Care and Social Assistance | 13 | 12 | 92.3% | 7.7% |
| 67 | Factspan, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 12 | 12 | 100% | 0% |
| 67 | The Pokemon Company International, Inc. | Retail Trade | 12 | 12 | 100% | 0% |
| 67 | Beyondsoft Consulting, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 12 | 12 | 100% | 0% |
| 67 | Sophus It Solutions, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 12 | 12 | 100% | 0% |
| 67 | Geoengineers, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 12 | 12 | 100% | 0% |
| 74 | Moss Adams, LLP | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 11 | 11 | 100% | 0% |
| 74 | Cloudify Technologies, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 11 | 11 | 100% | 0% |
| 74 | Institute for Systems Biology | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 11 | 11 | 100% | 0% |
| 74 | Highspot, Inc. | Information; Real Estate and Rental and Leasing; Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 11 | 11 | 100% | 0% |
| 74 | Truveta, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 11 | 11 | 100% | 0% |
| 79 | 9llabs, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 10 | 10 | 100% | 0% |
| 79 | Seagen, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 10 | 10 | 100% | 0% |
| 79 | D Amato Conversano, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 11 | 10 | 90.9% | 9.1% |
| 79 | Sana Biotechnology, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 10 | 10 | 100% | 0% |
| 83 | Bungie, Inc. | Information | 9 | 9 | 100% | 0% |
| 83 | Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic | Health Care and Social Assistance | 9 | 9 | 100% | 0% |
| 83 | Swedish Health Services | Health Care and Social Assistance | 9 | 9 | 100% | 0% |
| 83 | Statsig, Inc. | Information | 9 | 9 | 100% | 0% |
| 83 | Symetra Life Insurance Company | Finance and Insurance | 9 | 9 | 100% | 0% |
| 83 | Cloudiq Technologies, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 9 | 9 | 100% | 0% |
| 83 | FTV Employment Services, LLC | Manufacturing | 9 | 9 | 100% | 0% |
| 83 | Syrencloud, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 9 | 9 | 100% | 0% |
| 83 | Xpanse, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 9 | 9 | 100% | 0% |
| 92 | Recreational Equipment, Inc. | Retail Trade | 8 | 8 | 100% | 0% |
| 92 | The Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 8 | 8 | 100% | 0% |
| 92 | Fluke Electronics Corporation | Manufacturing | 9 | 8 | 88.9% | 11.1% |
| 92 | Providence Health and Services Oregon | Health Care and Social Assistance | 8 | 8 | 100% | 0% |
| 92 | Waferwire, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 8 | 8 | 100% | 0% |
| 92 | Outreach Corporation | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 8 | 8 | 100% | 0% |
| 92 | Trident Seafoods, Corp. | Wholesale Trade | 8 | 8 | 100% | 0% |
| 92 | Meteorcomm, LLC | Manufacturing | 8 | 8 | 100% | 0% |
| 92 | Eastern Washington University | Educational Services | 9 | 8 | 88.9% | 11.1% |