Of these, 1,004 were approved (98.1%), while 19 were denied (1.9%).
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 Nebraska during 2024, with 269 petitions (26.3% of all submissions), and an approval rate of 97.8%. Meanwhile, the Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services industry was the second largest contributor, filing 253 petitions (24.7% of the total), with an approval rate of 96.4%.
The Nebraska employers with the most petitions during 2024 included University of Nebraska - Lincoln, which filed 146 petitions with an approval rate of 96.6%, University of Nebraska Med Center with 71 petitions and an approval rate of 100%, and HDR Engineering, Inc., which filed 67 petitions with an approval rate of 98.5%.
Compared to 2023, the number of H-1B petitions filed in Nebraska during 2024 decreased by 21.5%.
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 | 269 | 26.3% | 97.8% | 2.2% |
| 2 | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 253 | 24.7% | 96.4% | 3.6% |
| 3 | Health Care and Social Assistance | 132 | 12.9% | 97.7% | 2.3% |
| 4 | Finance and Insurance | 121 | 11.8% | 100% | 0% |
| 5 | Construction | 104 | 10.2% | 100% | 0% |
| 6 | Retail Trade | 34 | 3.3% | 100% | 0% |
| 7 | Manufacturing | 32 | 3.1% | 100% | 0% |
| 8 | Transportation and Warehousing | 20 | 2% | 100% | 0% |
| 9 | Utilities | 13 | 1.3% | 100% | 0% |
| 10 | Information | 12 | 1.2% | 100% | 0% |
| 11 | Public Administration | 6 | 0.6% | 100% | 0% |
| 12 | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 4 | 0.4% | 100% | 0% |
| 12 | Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 4 | 0.4% | 75% | 25% |
| 14 | Management of Companies and Enterprises | 3 | 0.3% | 100% | 0% |
| 15 | Accommodation and Food Services | 1 | 0.1% | 100% | 0% |
| Company Name | Industries | Total Petitions | % Approved | % Denied |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Nebraska - Lincoln | Educational Services, Health Care and Social Assistance | 146 | 96.6% | 3.4% |
| University of Nebraska Med Center | Educational Services, Public Administration | 71 | 100% | 0% |
| HDR Engineering, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 67 | 98.5% | 1.5% |
| Kiewit Engineering Group, Inc. | Construction, Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 56 | 98.2% | 1.8% |
| Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company | Finance and Insurance | 40 | 100% | 0% |
| Gallup, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 28 | 100% | 0% |
| First National Bank of Omaha | Finance and Insurance | 23 | 100% | 0% |
| HDR Architecture, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 23 | 100% | 0% |
| Physicians Mutual Insurance Company | Finance and Insurance | 22 | 100% | 0% |
| Creighton University | Educational Services | 21 | 100% | 0% |
| Alegent Creighton Clinic | Finance and Insurance, Health Care and Social Assistance | 19 | 94.7% | 5.3% |
| Nebraska Furniture Mart, Inc. | Retail Trade | 17 | 100% | 0% |
| Aci Worldwide, Corp. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 15 | 100% | 0% |
| Schuyler Community Schools a K a S | Educational Services | 15 | 93.3% | 6.7% |
| Sarkit, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 15 | 100% | 0% |
| Apex Informatics, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 11 | 90.9% | 9.1% |
| Kiewit Corporation | Construction | 11 | 100% | 0% |
| UNMC Physicians | Health Care and Social Assistance | 11 | 100% | 0% |
| Captive Software Solutions, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 9 | 88.9% | 11.1% |
| Henningson Durham and Richardsonpc | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 8 | 100% | 0% |
| Ameritas Life Insurance, Corp. | Finance and Insurance | 8 | 100% | 0% |
| Tenaska, Inc. | Utilities | 8 | 100% | 0% |
| Alegent Health Bergan Mercy Health | Health Care and Social Assistance | 8 | 100% | 0% |
| Faith Regional Physician Services, LLC | Health Care and Social Assistance | 8 | 100% | 0% |
| The Nebraska Medical Center | Health Care and Social Assistance | 8 | 100% | 0% |
| Union Pacific Railroad Company | Transportation and Warehousing | 8 | 100% | 0% |
| Nelnet Business Solutions D B, Inc. | Finance and Insurance | 8 | 100% | 0% |
| Valmont Industries, Inc. | Manufacturing | 7 | 100% | 0% |
| Capstone It, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 7 | 100% | 0% |
| Werner Enterprises, Inc. | Transportation and Warehousing | 7 | 100% | 0% |
| Spreetail, LLC | Retail Trade | 7 | 100% | 0% |
| Kiewit Energy Group, Inc. | Construction | 7 | 100% | 0% |
| Midwest Global Solutions, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 7 | 85.7% | 14.3% |
| Election Systems and Software, LLC | Manufacturing, Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 6 | 100% | 0% |
| Oriental Trading Company, Inc. | Retail Trade | 6 | 100% | 0% |
| Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska | Finance and Insurance | 6 | 100% | 0% |
| Celerion, Inc. | Health Care and Social Assistance | 6 | 100% | 0% |
| Kiewit Infrastructure South Company | Construction | 5 | 100% | 0% |
| Father Flanagan'S Boys Home | Health Care and Social Assistance | 5 | 100% | 0% |
| Farm Credit Services of America Flca | Finance and Insurance | 5 | 100% | 0% |
| DLR Group, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 5 | 80% | 20% |
| Omaha Public Schools District 0001 | Educational Services | 5 | 100% | 0% |
| North Platte Nebraska Hospital, Corp. | Health Care and Social Assistance | 5 | 100% | 0% |
| Olsson, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 5 | 100% | 0% |
| Northern Natural Gas Company | Transportation and Warehousing | 5 | 100% | 0% |
| Nebraska Pediatric Practice, Inc. | Health Care and Social Assistance | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| HDR, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Kiewit Infrastructure Company | Construction | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Kiewit Power Constructors Company | Construction | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Monolith Resources, LLC | Manufacturing | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| Bryan Physician Network | Health Care and Social Assistance | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| American Shizuki Corporation | Manufacturing | 4 | 100% | 0% |
| T5 Technologies, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Schnackel Engineers, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Lindsay Irrigation Solutions, LLC | Manufacturing | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Metropolitan Utilities District | Utilities | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Tic - the Industrial Company | Construction | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Aloft Technologies, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Cozad Community Hospital | Health Care and Social Assistance | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| Alegent Creighton Health | Health Care and Social Assistance | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| St. Francis School | Educational Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Jefferson Community Health Center, Inc. | Health Care and Social Assistance | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| West Technology Group, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Applied Underwriters, Inc. | Finance and Insurance | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Alegent Health Immanuel Med Center | Health Care and Social Assistance | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Omaha Public Power District | Utilities | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Kiewit Infrastructure West Company | Construction | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Sioux County Public Schools | 2 | 100% | 0% | |
| Ncee Labs, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| National Research Corporation | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Kiewit-Shea Constructors a Joint V | Construction | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Kimball County Hospital | Health Care and Social Assistance | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Lancaster County School District 1 | Educational Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Antelope Memorial Hospital | Health Care and Social Assistance | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| National Indemnity Company | Finance and Insurance | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Annie Jeffrey Memorial County Heal | Health Care and Social Assistance | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Rock County Hospital | Health Care and Social Assistance | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Alegant Health-Memorial Hospital Schuyler | Health Care and Social Assistance | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Physicians Clinic, Inc. | Health Care and Social Assistance | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Mass Electric Construction Company | Construction | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Medical Solutions, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Buildertrend Solutions, Inc. | Information | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Vcloud Technology Group, LLC | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 0% | 100% |
| University of Nebraska at Kearney | Educational Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Cynchealth Advisors, Inc. | Management of Companies and Enterprises | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Central Community College | Educational Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Gigzonwheels, LLC | Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| DTN, LLC | Information | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Brown Immigration Law L L O, P C | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Talent Plus, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Harlan County Health System | Health Care and Social Assistance | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Box Butte General Hospital | Health Care and Social Assistance | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| HDR Engineering of the Carolinas, Inc. | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Chief Industries, Inc. | Construction, Manufacturing | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Cheyenne County Hospital Association, Inc. | Health Care and Social Assistance | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| St. Michael School | Educational Services | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Cherne Contracting Corporation | Construction | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| The City of Lincoln Nebraska | Public Administration | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| Brodstone Memorial Hospital | Health Care and Social Assistance | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| The Mary Lanning Memorial Hospital Association | Health Care and Social Assistance | 1 | 100% | 0% |