Ted H. Kim, Associate Director Refugee, Asylum and International Operations Directorate for USCIS | https://www.naco.org/
Of these, 2,648 were approved (97.9%), while 57 were denied (2.1%).
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 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services industry led the H-1B filings in Colorado during 2024, with 1,052 petitions (38.9% of all submissions), and an approval rate of 98%. Meanwhile, the Educational Services industry was the second largest contributor, filing 556 petitions (20.6% of the total), with an approval rate of 98%.
The Colorado employers with the most petitions during 2024 included University of Colorado Boulder, which filed 228 petitions with an approval rate of 99.1%, Dish Wireless, LLC with 138 petitions and an approval rate of 98.6%, and Denver Public Schools District 1, which filed 113 petitions with an approval rate of 97.3%.
Compared to 2023, the number of H-1B petitions filed in Colorado during 2024 decreased by 4.6%.
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 | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1,052 | 38.9% | 98% | 2% |
| 2 | Educational Services | 556 | 20.6% | 98% | 2% |
| 3 | Information | 323 | 11.9% | 99.1% | 0.9% |
| 4 | Manufacturing | 220 | 8.1% | 96.8% | 3.2% |
| 5 | Finance and Insurance | 160 | 5.9% | 97.5% | 2.5% |
| 6 | Health Care and Social Assistance | 115 | 4.3% | 98.3% | 1.7% |
| 7 | Construction | 58 | 2.1% | 100% | 0% |
| 8 | Wholesale Trade | 49 | 1.8% | 91.8% | 8.2% |
| 9 | Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction | 30 | 1.1% | 96.7% | 3.3% |
| 10 | Retail Trade | 13 | 0.5% | 92.3% | 7.7% |
| 10 | Transportation and Warehousing | 13 | 0.5% | 92.3% | 7.7% |
| 12 | Utilities | 10 | 0.4% | 90% | 10% |
| 12 | Management of Companies and Enterprises | 10 | 0.4% | 100% | 0% |
| 12 | Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 10 | 0.4% | 100% | 0% |
| 15 | Other Services (except Public Administration) | 9 | 0.3% | 100% | 0% |
| 16 | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 8 | 0.3% | 100% | 0% |
| 16 | Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 8 | 0.3% | 100% | 0% |
| 18 | Accommodation and Food Services | 7 | 0.3% | 100% | 0% |
| 19 | Public Administration | 3 | 0.1% | 100% | 0% |
| 20 | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2 | 0.1% | 100% | 0% |
| Company Name | Industries | Total Petitions | % Approved | % Denied |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Colorado Boulder | Educational Services, Information | 228 | 99.1% | 0.9% |
| Dish Wireless, LLC | Information | 138 | 98.6% | 1.4% |
| Denver Public Schools District 1 | Educational Services | 113 | 97.3% | 2.7% |
| Dish Network, L L C | Information | 98 | 100% | 0% |
| Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 86 | 100% | 0% |
| Palantir Technologies, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 80 | 97.5% | 2.5% |
| Stantec Consulting Services, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 79 | 98.7% | 1.3% |
| Colorado State University | Educational Services | 62 | 100% | 0% |
| Western Union, LLC | Finance and Insurance | 60 | 98.3% | 1.7% |
| Arcadis U S, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 58 | 100% | 0% |
| Trimble, Inc. | Manufacturing, Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 50 | 100% | 0% |
| CSG Systems, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 38 | 97.4% | 2.6% |
| Maven Companies, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 34 | 100% | 0% |
| Object Experts, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 33 | 90.9% | 9.1% |
| Arrow Electronics, Inc. | Wholesale Trade | 28 | 92.9% | 7.1% |
| Swift Beef Company a JBS USA Subsidiary | Manufacturing, Wholesale Trade, Management of Companies and Enterprises | 27 | 96.3% | 3.7% |
| Angi, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 26 | 100% | 0% |
| Talent Clustr, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 25 | 100% | 0% |
| Rocky Mountain Institute | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 25 | 100% | 0% |
| Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. | Manufacturing | 24 | 100% | 0% |
| Apttus Corporation | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 22 | 100% | 0% |
| Galey Systems, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 22 | 100% | 0% |
| Empower Retirement, LLC | Finance and Insurance | 21 | 100% | 0% |
| E2 Consulting Engineers, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 20 | 95% | 5% |
| Janus Henderson Investors US, LLC | Finance and Insurance | 20 | 100% | 0% |
| University of Denver | Educational Services | 18 | 94.4% | 5.6% |
| Colorado School of Mines | Educational Services | 18 | 100% | 0% |
| University of Colorado Health | Health Care and Social Assistance | 17 | 100% | 0% |
| Einfochips, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 16 | 100% | 0% |
| Metropolitan State University of Denver | Educational Services | 16 | 87.5% | 12.5% |
| Roaring Fork School District Re 1 | Educational Services | 16 | 93.8% | 6.3% |
| Velocity Global, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services, Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 16 | 100% | 0% |
| Datavail Corporation | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 15 | 100% | 0% |
| Davita, Inc. | Health Care and Social Assistance | 14 | 100% | 0% |
| Immense Brains, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 13 | 92.3% | 7.7% |
| Ttec Digital, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 13 | 100% | 0% |
| SDH Systems, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 13 | 100% | 0% |
| Crusoe Energy Systems, Inc. | Manufacturing, Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 12 | 100% | 0% |
| Hach Company | Manufacturing | 12 | 91.7% | 8.3% |
| Xactly Corporation | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 12 | 100% | 0% |
| Flatiron Construction, Corp. | Construction | 12 | 100% | 0% |
| Crocs, Inc. | Manufacturing, Retail Trade | 11 | 90.9% | 9.1% |
| Technician Talent, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 10 | 70% | 30% |
| Gates Corporation | Manufacturing | 10 | 90% | 10% |
| Convera USA, LLC | Finance and Insurance | 10 | 90% | 10% |
| Ibotta, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 9 | 100% | 0% |
| Design Workshop, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 8 | 100% | 0% |
| Fast Enterprises, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 8 | 100% | 0% |
| Outrider Technologies, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 8 | 100% | 0% |
| Vertafore, Inc. | Information | 8 | 100% | 0% |
| Boeing Digital Solutions D B a, Inc. | Manufacturing | 8 | 100% | 0% |
| Modivcare Solutions, LLC | Health Care and Social Assistance | 8 | 100% | 0% |
| Global Healthcare Exchange, Inc. | Wholesale Trade | 8 | 87.5% | 12.5% |
| Mcaconnect, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 8 | 100% | 0% |
| Codefied, Inc. | Information, Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 8 | 100% | 0% |
| Cobank ACB | Finance and Insurance | 8 | 87.5% | 12.5% |
| Newmont International Services Limited | Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction | 8 | 100% | 0% |
| Evercommerce Solutions, Inc. | Information, Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 7 | 100% | 0% |
| Prologis Management, LLC | Finance and Insurance | 7 | 100% | 0% |
| National Jewish Health | Health Care and Social Assistance | 7 | 100% | 0% |
| Arkstek, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 7 | 100% | 0% |
| Hyde Engineering and Consulting, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 7 | 100% | 0% |
| Fort Lewis College | Educational Services | 7 | 100% | 0% |
| PCL Construction Services, Inc. | Construction | 7 | 100% | 0% |
| Frontier Airlines | Transportation and Warehousing | 7 | 85.7% | 14.3% |
| Colorado Mesa University | Educational Services | 6 | 100% | 0% |
| Terumo BCT, Inc. | Manufacturing | 6 | 100% | 0% |
| Colorado State University Pueblo | Educational Services | 6 | 100% | 0% |
| Ascend Analytics, LLC | Information, Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 6 | 100% | 0% |
| PTX Trimble, LLC | Manufacturing | 6 | 100% | 0% |
| Agiliad, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 6 | 100% | 0% |
| Avvale, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 6 | 100% | 0% |
| Datamanusa, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 6 | 100% | 0% |
| Leprino Foods Company | Manufacturing | 6 | 100% | 0% |
| Aes Clean Energy Services, LLC | Utilities | 6 | 100% | 0% |
| AA Technician Group, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 6 | 83.3% | 16.7% |
| 6e Technologies, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 6 | 100% | 0% |
| Dignity Health | Health Care and Social Assistance | 6 | 100% | 0% |
| Acompetent, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 5 | 80% | 20% |
| Denver Health and Hospital Authority | Health Care and Social Assistance | 5 | 100% | 0% |
| Specialized Loan Servicing, LLC | Finance and Insurance | 5 | 100% | 0% |
| Anglogold Ashanti North America in | Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction | 5 | 80% | 20% |
| Appic Solutions, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 5 | 80% | 20% |
| Tech9 It-Solutions, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 5 | 100% | 0% |
| Asec, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 5 | 100% | 0% |
| University of Northern Colorado | Educational Services | 5 | 100% | 0% |
| Everside Health, LLC | Health Care and Social Assistance | 5 | 100% | 0% |
| Boulder Associates Architects, PC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 5 | 100% | 0% |
| Hensel Phelps Construction Company | Construction | 5 | 100% | 0% |
| Pilgrims Pride Corporation | Management of Companies and Enterprises, Manufacturing, Retail Trade | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Coalfire Systems, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Nutrien Agent Solutions, Inc. | Wholesale Trade | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Eating Recovery Center, LLC | Health Care and Social Assistance | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Tolmar, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Xtivia, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Colorado College | Educational Services | 4 | 75% | 25% |
| Edgescale AL, Inc. | Information | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Tifin Payroll, Inc. | Information, Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| SRK Consulting US, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Infosoft, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 4 | 100% | 0% |