Of these, 10,279 were approved (98%), while 209 were denied (2%).
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 North Carolina during 2024, with 6,200 petitions (59.1% of all submissions), and an approval rate of 97.9%. Meanwhile, the Finance and Insurance industry was the second largest contributor, filing 1,395 petitions (13.3% of the total), with an approval rate of 99.2%.
The North Carolina employers with the most petitions during 2024 included IBM Corporation, which filed 2,920 petitions with an approval rate of 99.5%, Bank of America, N A with 498 petitions and an approval rate of 100%, and Truist Bank, which filed 248 petitions with an approval rate of 98.4%.
Compared to 2023, the number of H-1B petitions filed in North Carolina during 2024 increased by 6.7%.
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 | 6,200 | 59.1% | 97.9% | 2.1% |
| 2 | Finance and Insurance | 1,395 | 13.3% | 99.2% | 0.8% |
| 3 | Educational Services | 1,211 | 11.5% | 98.7% | 1.3% |
| 4 | Manufacturing | 607 | 5.8% | 98% | 2% |
| 5 | Retail Trade | 310 | 3% | 97.1% | 2.9% |
| 6 | Health Care and Social Assistance | 233 | 2.2% | 91.8% | 8.2% |
| 7 | Information | 130 | 1.2% | 98.5% | 1.5% |
| 8 | Wholesale Trade | 70 | 0.7% | 97.1% | 2.9% |
| 9 | Utilities | 58 | 0.6% | 100% | 0% |
| 10 | Construction | 35 | 0.3% | 88.6% | 11.4% |
| 10 | Accommodation and Food Services | 35 | 0.3% | 94.3% | 5.7% |
| 12 | Other Services (except Public Administration) | 33 | 0.3% | 97% | 3% |
| 13 | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 28 | 0.3% | 100% | 0% |
| 14 | Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 10 | 0.1% | 100% | 0% |
| 15 | Transportation and Warehousing | 9 | 0.1% | 100% | 0% |
| 15 | Public Administration | 9 | 0.1% | 100% | 0% |
| 17 | Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 5 | 0% | 100% | 0% |
| 18 | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 3 | 0% | 100% | 0% |
| 19 | Management of Companies and Enterprises | 2 | 0% | 100% | 0% |
| 20 | Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction | 1 | 0% | 100% | 0% |
| Company Name | Industries | Total Petitions | % Approved | % Denied |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IBM Corporation | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2,920 | 99.5% | 0.5% |
| Bank of America, N A | Finance and Insurance | 498 | 100% | 0% |
| Truist Bank | Finance and Insurance, Public Administration | 248 | 98.4% | 1.6% |
| Lowes Companies, Inc. | Retail Trade | 219 | 97.7% | 2.3% |
| Duke University-University-Med Center-Affil | Educational Services | 216 | 98.6% | 1.4% |
| Bofa Securities, Inc. | Finance and Insurance | 191 | 99.5% | 0.5% |
| DB Global Technology, Inc. | Finance and Insurance | 162 | 98.8% | 1.2% |
| Honeywell International, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 154 | 98.1% | 1.9% |
| NC State University | Educational Services | 136 | 100% | 0% |
| Iqvia, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 130 | 98.5% | 1.5% |
| Red Hat, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 129 | 98.4% | 1.6% |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Educational Services | 104 | 100% | 0% |
| PPD Development L P | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 99 | 98% | 2% |
| First Citizens Bank and Trust Company | Finance and Insurance | 88 | 98.9% | 1.1% |
| Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings | Health Care and Social Assistance, Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 69 | 100% | 0% |
| Metrix It Solutions, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 61 | 100% | 0% |
| Tabner, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 58 | 93.1% | 6.9% |
| Nash County Public Schools | Educational Services | 53 | 96.2% | 3.8% |
| D2sol, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 50 | 100% | 0% |
| ABB, Inc. | Manufacturing | 49 | 98% | 2% |
| Hitachi Energy USA, Inc. | Utilities | 45 | 100% | 0% |
| Wolfspeed, Inc. | Manufacturing | 42 | 97.6% | 2.4% |
| Technosoft Engineering, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 41 | 92.7% | 7.3% |
| Granville County Public Schools | Educational Services | 40 | 100% | 0% |
| Merrill Lynch | Finance and Insurance | 39 | 97.4% | 2.6% |
| Halifax County Public Schools | Educational Services | 37 | 100% | 0% |
| NC Health Affiliates, LLC | Finance and Insurance | 37 | 100% | 0% |
| Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 34 | 97.1% | 2.9% |
| Ardor It Solutions, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 34 | 91.2% | 8.8% |
| Iqvia RDS, Inc. | Manufacturing | 34 | 100% | 0% |
| Intelligrated Systems, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 34 | 97.1% | 2.9% |
| Compass Group USA, Inc. | Accommodation and Food Services | 32 | 93.8% | 6.3% |
| Trane Technologies Company, LLC | Manufacturing | 31 | 100% | 0% |
| Addepto It Solutions, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 30 | 90% | 10% |
| Origin Hubs, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 29 | 93.1% | 6.9% |
| Radcom Software Services, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 29 | 86.2% | 13.8% |
| Artificial Inventions, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 29 | 93.1% | 6.9% |
| Sas Institute, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 29 | 96.6% | 3.4% |
| Avidxchange, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 29 | 100% | 0% |
| Volvo Group North America, LLC | Utilities, Manufacturing | 28 | 100% | 0% |
| It Keysource, Inc. | Information, Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 28 | 100% | 0% |
| Lenovo United States, Inc. | Manufacturing | 27 | 100% | 0% |
| Regent Strategic Solutions | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 26 | 100% | 0% |
| Lendingtree, LLC | Finance and Insurance | 25 | 100% | 0% |
| Carolinas Physicians Network D, Inc. | Health Care and Social Assistance | 25 | 92% | 8% |
| Cloudninetek, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 25 | 96% | 4% |
| Healthy Start Education, Inc. | Educational Services | 25 | 96% | 4% |
| Teksolve It Solutions, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 25 | 96% | 4% |
| Triad Math and Science Academy Company | Educational Services | 24 | 100% | 0% |
| Aanvi Cloud Technologies, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 23 | 95.7% | 4.3% |
| Apex Analytix, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 23 | 100% | 0% |
| Johnston County Public Schools | Educational Services | 23 | 100% | 0% |
| Belk, Inc. | Retail Trade | 22 | 100% | 0% |
| Appalachian State University | Educational Services | 22 | 100% | 0% |
| East Carolina University | Educational Services | 22 | 100% | 0% |
| Duke University Health System, Inc. | Educational Services | 22 | 100% | 0% |
| Snowstack, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 22 | 95.5% | 4.5% |
| Harbor Hat, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 22 | 81.8% | 18.2% |
| Epic Games, Inc. | Information, Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 21 | 100% | 0% |
| Wake Forest University Health Sciences | Educational Services | 21 | 95.2% | 4.8% |
| Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions, Inc. | Retail Trade | 20 | 95% | 5% |
| Vance County Public Schools | Educational Services | 20 | 100% | 0% |
| Pantar Solutions, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 20 | 95% | 5% |
| Go8 It, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 20 | 95% | 5% |
| Cesta, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 20 | 90% | 10% |
| University of North Carolina Charlotte | Educational Services | 20 | 100% | 0% |
| ARCH US MI Services, Inc. | Finance and Insurance | 20 | 100% | 0% |
| Comprehab, LLC | Health Care and Social Assistance | 19 | 57.9% | 42.1% |
| Clicksoft Solutions, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 19 | 100% | 0% |
| Sas Info, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 19 | 100% | 0% |
| University North Carolina Wilmington | Educational Services | 19 | 94.7% | 5.3% |
| Anson County Schools | Educational Services | 19 | 94.7% | 5.3% |
| GXO Logistics Corporate Services, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 19 | 100% | 0% |
| Signature It Solutions, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 19 | 100% | 0% |
| Warren County Schools | Educational Services | 19 | 100% | 0% |
| Blooming Technician, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 18 | 100% | 0% |
| VF Services, LLC | Manufacturing | 18 | 100% | 0% |
| Vidant Medical Group, LLC | Health Care and Social Assistance | 18 | 94.4% | 5.6% |
| Intelligrated Services, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 18 | 100% | 0% |
| Inteca It Solutions, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 18 | 100% | 0% |
| Lenovo Global Technology United States, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 17 | 94.1% | 5.9% |
| Fortisview, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 17 | 82.4% | 17.6% |
| Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools | Educational Services | 17 | 100% | 0% |
| Research Triangle Institute | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 17 | 100% | 0% |
| Ardor It Systems, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 17 | 88.2% | 11.8% |
| Ahold Delhaize USA Services, LLC | Retail Trade | 17 | 100% | 0% |
| Alpha Academy | Educational Services | 17 | 100% | 0% |
| The Charlotte Mecklenburg Hospital Authority | Health Care and Social Assistance | 17 | 100% | 0% |
| Promantus, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 17 | 88.2% | 11.8% |
| Syneos Health US, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 17 | 94.1% | 5.9% |
| Cloud Space, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 17 | 100% | 0% |
| Prosquire, LLC | Information, Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 16 | 93.8% | 6.3% |
| Syngenta Crop Protection, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 16 | 100% | 0% |
| Bertie County Schools | Educational Services | 16 | 100% | 0% |
| Infomerica, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 16 | 100% | 0% |
| Suntechpros, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 16 | 93.8% | 6.3% |
| Edgecombe County Public Schools | Educational Services | 16 | 100% | 0% |
| Wake Forest University | Educational Services | 16 | 100% | 0% |
| NC a and T State University | Educational Services | 16 | 100% | 0% |
| Technodeed, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 16 | 100% | 0% |