Ted H. Kim, Associate Director Refugee, Asylum and International Operations Directorate for USCIS | https://www.naco.org/
Of these, 1,549 were approved (94%), while 99 were denied (6%).
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.
For comparison, the average approval rate for H-1B petitions across the United States in 2024 stood at 98%, slightly higher than the 97.3% recorded in 2023.
The Educational Services industry led the H-1B filings in South Carolina during 2024, with 635 petitions (38.5% of all submissions), and an approval rate of 98%. Meanwhile, the Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services industry was the second largest contributor, filing 449 petitions (27.2% of the total), with an approval rate of 83.7%.
The South Carolina employers with the most petitions during 2024 included Richland County School District One, which filed 90 petitions with an approval rate of 100%, Clemson University with 86 petitions and an approval rate of 100%, and Medical University of School and Affil, which filed 70 petitions with an approval rate of 98.6%.
Compared to 2023, the number of H-1B petitions filed in South Carolina during 2024 increased by 3.5%.
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 | Educational Services | 635 | 38.5% | 98% | 2% |
2 | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 449 | 27.2% | 83.7% | 16.3% |
3 | Manufacturing | 211 | 12.8% | 99.1% | 0.9% |
4 | Finance and Insurance | 126 | 7.6% | 99.2% | 0.8% |
5 | Health Care and Social Assistance | 78 | 4.7% | 98.7% | 1.3% |
6 | Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 20 | 1.2% | 95% | 5% |
7 | Utilities | 18 | 1.1% | 100% | 0% |
8 | Construction | 17 | 1% | 94.1% | 5.9% |
9 | Wholesale Trade | 13 | 0.8% | 100% | 0% |
9 | Information | 13 | 0.8% | 100% | 0% |
11 | Transportation and Warehousing | 6 | 0.4% | 100% | 0% |
12 | Management of Companies and Enterprises | 5 | 0.3% | 100% | 0% |
12 | Public Administration | 5 | 0.3% | 100% | 0% |
14 | Accommodation and Food Services | 4 | 0.2% | 75% | 25% |
14 | Other Services (except Public Administration) | 4 | 0.2% | 100% | 0% |
16 | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 3 | 0.2% | 100% | 0% |
17 | Retail Trade | 1 | 0.1% | 100% | 0% |
17 | Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction | 1 | 0.1% | 100% | 0% |
Company Name | Industries | Total Petitions | % Approved | % Denied |
---|---|---|---|---|
Richland County School District One | Educational Services | 90 | 100% | 0% |
Clemson University | Educational Services | 86 | 100% | 0% |
Medical University of School and Affil | Educational Services | 70 | 98.6% | 1.4% |
NK Technolabs, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 59 | 45.8% | 54.2% |
Jasper County School District | Educational Services | 52 | 92.3% | 7.7% |
Dorchester School District Two | Educational Services | 35 | 100% | 0% |
Lexington County School District One | Educational Services | 33 | 100% | 0% |
Schaeffler Group USA, Inc. | Manufacturing | 31 | 100% | 0% |
University of South Carolina | Educational Services | 30 | 100% | 0% |
Wissen It, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 28 | 89.3% | 10.7% |
Sanctityinternational, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 27 | 66.7% | 33.3% |
Lee County School District | Educational Services | 27 | 96.3% | 3.7% |
American Credit Acceptance, LLC | Finance and Insurance | 26 | 96.2% | 3.8% |
LPL Financial, LLC | Finance and Insurance | 26 | 100% | 0% |
Orrba Systems, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 26 | 96.2% | 3.8% |
Orangeburg County School District | Educational Services | 25 | 92% | 8% |
Caliber It Solutions, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 25 | 100% | 0% |
Rbus a Red Ventures Company, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 24 | 95.8% | 4.2% |
Darlington County School District | Educational Services | 22 | 86.4% | 13.6% |
Schaeffler Transmission, LLC | Manufacturing | 21 | 100% | 0% |
Colleton County School District | Educational Services | 19 | 94.7% | 5.3% |
Sysintel, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 16 | 100% | 0% |
Nacittech, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 14 | 100% | 0% |
Purpose Financial, Inc. | Finance and Insurance | 14 | 100% | 0% |
Keen Info Tek, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 13 | 84.6% | 15.4% |
Quartet, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 13 | 92.3% | 7.7% |
Coastal Carolina University | Educational Services | 12 | 91.7% | 8.3% |
Volvo Car USA, LLC | Manufacturing | 12 | 100% | 0% |
Ammadar, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 11 | 100% | 0% |
Es Foundry, Corp. | Manufacturing | 11 | 90.9% | 9.1% |
Appstream Technologies, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 11 | 81.8% | 18.2% |
Datasoft Technologies, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 11 | 100% | 0% |
Global Lending Services, LLC | Finance and Insurance | 11 | 100% | 0% |
Sunbelt Rentals, Inc. | Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 11 | 100% | 0% |
ZF Transmissions Gray Court, LLC | Manufacturing | 10 | 100% | 0% |
Williamsburg County School District | Educational Services | 10 | 90% | 10% |
Techwizens, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 10 | 100% | 0% |
Calhoun County School District | Educational Services | 9 | 100% | 0% |
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Carolina | Finance and Insurance | 9 | 100% | 0% |
Healthpro Heritage, LLC | Health Care and Social Assistance | 9 | 100% | 0% |
Coker University | Educational Services | 8 | 100% | 0% |
Curo Management, LLC | Finance and Insurance | 8 | 100% | 0% |
Grey Matter Solutions, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 8 | 100% | 0% |
Greystar Management Services, LLC | Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 8 | 87.5% | 12.5% |
Hampton County School District | Educational Services, Health Care and Social Assistance | 8 | 100% | 0% |
Dominion Energy Services, Inc. | Utilities | 8 | 100% | 0% |
3D Systems, Inc. | Manufacturing | 8 | 100% | 0% |
Spartanburg Regional Health Services District, Inc. | Health Care and Social Assistance | 8 | 100% | 0% |
Agfirst Farm Credit Bank | Finance and Insurance | 7 | 100% | 0% |
Mercedes Benz Vans, LLC | Manufacturing | 7 | 100% | 0% |
Virginia Electric and Power Company | Utilities | 7 | 100% | 0% |
Fairfield County School District | Educational Services | 7 | 100% | 0% |
Prisma Health Medical Group Midlands | Health Care and Social Assistance | 7 | 100% | 0% |
The Citadel | Educational Services | 7 | 100% | 0% |
Roh Technologies, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 7 | 100% | 0% |
Rock Hill School District No 3 | Educational Services | 7 | 100% | 0% |
East Point Academy | Educational Services | 7 | 100% | 0% |
Laurens County School District 55 | Educational Services | 6 | 100% | 0% |
College of Charleston | Educational Services | 6 | 100% | 0% |
Resurgent Capital Services LP | Finance and Insurance | 6 | 100% | 0% |
Ultraaura Systems, LLC | Educational Services | 6 | 100% | 0% |
Rudderstack in | Information | 6 | 100% | 0% |
Enviri Corporation Formerly Harsco | Real Estate and Rental and Leasing, Management of Companies and Enterprises | 6 | 100% | 0% |
Winthrop University | Educational Services | 5 | 80% | 20% |
Regional Management, Corp. | Finance and Insurance | 5 | 100% | 0% |
Hyper V Solutions, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services, Educational Services | 5 | 60% | 40% |
Pro It Needs, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 5 | 60% | 40% |
Tana Systems, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 5 | 80% | 20% |
Fit Voltaira Americas Corporation | Manufacturing | 4 | 100% | 0% |
Companion Professional Services | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 4 | 100% | 0% |
Continental Tire the Americas, LLC | Manufacturing | 4 | 100% | 0% |
Teqsphere, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 4 | 100% | 0% |
Conway Hospital, Inc. | Health Care and Social Assistance | 4 | 100% | 0% |
Columbia International University | Educational Services | 4 | 100% | 0% |
Mcleod Regional Medical Center of the Pee Dee, Inc. | Health Care and Social Assistance | 4 | 100% | 0% |
Allendale County School District | Educational Services | 4 | 100% | 0% |
Techtronic Cordless, GP | Wholesale Trade | 4 | 100% | 0% |
Strand Physician Specialists PA D | Health Care and Social Assistance | 4 | 100% | 0% |
Cloud Connect Solutions, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 4 | 25% | 75% |
Nucor Corporation | Manufacturing | 4 | 100% | 0% |
Infrastructure Consulting and Engineering, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 4 | 100% | 0% |
Sonoco Products Company | Manufacturing | 4 | 100% | 0% |
Century 3 Engineering, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 4 | 100% | 0% |
Hopehealth, Inc. | Health Care and Social Assistance | 4 | 100% | 0% |
Sloka Technologies, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 4 | 100% | 0% |
Blackbaud, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 4 | 100% | 0% |
Domtar Paper Company, LLC | Manufacturing | 4 | 100% | 0% |
Scout Motors, Inc. | Manufacturing | 4 | 100% | 0% |
Mekra Lang North America, LLC | Manufacturing | 3 | 100% | 0% |
East Link Academy | Educational Services | 3 | 100% | 0% |
Navatio Pharma USA, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 3 | 100% | 0% |
Self Regional Healthcare | Health Care and Social Assistance | 3 | 100% | 0% |
Francis Marion University | Educational Services | 3 | 100% | 0% |
Airsys Cooling Technologies, Inc. | Manufacturing, Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 3 | 100% | 0% |
V2C Solutions, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 3 | 33.3% | 66.7% |
Gordian | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 3 | 100% | 0% |
Hounen Solar America, Inc. | Manufacturing | 3 | 100% | 0% |
Greenwood Genetic Center, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 3 | 100% | 0% |
Aarkay Technologies, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 3 | 100% | 0% |
Zettaprime, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 3 | 66.7% | 33.3% |