South Sound Times

Employers classified under the Educational Services industry based within the South Sound Times publication area, submitted four H-1B petitions during 2024, according to data provided by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services via the H-1B Employer Data Hub. Of these, three were approved (75%), while one was denied (25%).

Employers are classified under industries based on their reported operations and may be involved in multiple industries.

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 average approval rate for H-1B petitions across the United States in 2024 stood at 98%, slightly higher than 2023's 97.3%. Locally, employers across all industries located within the South Sound Times publication area submitted 46 petitions during the same period, achieving an approval rate of 93.5%.

The Public Administration industry led the H-1B filings in the South Sound Times publication area during 2024, with 15 petitions (32.6% of all submissions), and an approval rate of 100%. Meanwhile, the Finance and Insurance industry was the second largest contributor, filing eight petitions (17.4% of the total), with an approval rate of 100%.

Compared to 2023, the Educational Services sector in the South Sound Times publication area saw a 20% 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	% Denied
1	Public Administration	15	32.6%	100%	0%
2	Finance and Insurance	8	17.4%	100%	0%
3	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	7	15.2%	85.7%	14.3%
3	Health Care and Social Assistance	7	15.2%	85.7%	14.3%
5	Educational Services	4	8.7%	75%	25%
6	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	2	4.3%	100%	0%
7	Information	1	2.2%	100%	0%
7	Retail Trade	1	2.2%	100%	0%
7	Management of Companies and Enterprises	1	2.2%	100%	0%

Company Name	Industry	Total Petitions	% Approved	% Denied
Washington Health Benefit Exchange	Finance and Insurance	5	100%	0%
Washington State Administrative of	Public Administration	3	100%	0%
East2west Technologies, Inc.	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	3	100%	0%
Washington State Health Care Autho	Finance and Insurance	2	100%	0%
Washington State Department of Society	Public Administration	2	100%	0%
State of Washington Department of Corrections	Public Administration	2	100%	0%
State of Washington Department of	Public Administration	2	100%	0%
Lewis County Community Health Services	Health Care and Social Assistance	2	50%	50%
Cayzen Corporation	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	2	50%	50%
Continental Floral, LLC	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	2	100%	0%
ETV Care Home, Inc.	Health Care and Social Assistance	2	100%	0%
Washington State Investment Board	Finance and Insurance	1	100%	0%
Washington State Employment Securi	Public Administration	1	100%	0%
Washington State Department of Social and Health Services	Public Administration	1	100%	0%
Centralia College	Educational Services	1	100%	0%
Washington State Department of Licensed	Public Administration	1	100%	0%
Washington State Department of Enterprise Services	Public Administration	1	100%	0%
Washington State Department of CHI	Public Administration	1	100%	0%
Trinity Care Home, Inc.	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	100%	0%
Transalta USA, Inc.	Management of Companies and Enterprises	1	100%	0%
State of Washington Department of Social and Health Services	Public Administration	1	100%	0%
Exeltech Consulting, Inc.	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	100%	0%
Hummingbird Precision Machine Comp	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	100%	0%
South Puget Sound Community College	Educational Services	1	100%	0%
Shelton Consolidated School District 309	Educational Services	1	100%	0%
Samy S Drug Store	Retail Trade	1	100%	0%
Saint Martin S University	Educational Services	1	0%	100%
Public Hospital District No 1 of Mason County	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	100%	0%
Northwest Healthcare Alliance, Inc.	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	100%	0%
Joyspace Technologies, Inc.	Information	1	100%	0%