Lafayette Reporter

Employers classified under the Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services industry based within the Lafayette Reporter publication area, submitted 12 H-1B petitions during 2024, according to data provided by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services via the H-1B Employer Data Hub. All of these petitions were approved.

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 Lafayette Reporter publication area submitted 126 petitions during the same period, achieving an approval rate of 100%.

While the Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services industry led the H-1B filings with 69 petitions, representing 54.8% of all submissions in the Lafayette Reporter publication area during 2024, the next largest contributor was the Finance and Insurance industry, which accounted for 24 petitions and represented 19% of the total. Among petitions from employers in the Finance and Insurance industry, all were approved.

In 2024, the Lafayette Reporter publication area employer with the most petitions categorized under the Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services sector was Technician Rakers, Inc., which filed six petitions with an approval rate of 100%.

Compared to 2023, the Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services sector in the Lafayette Reporter publication area saw a 14.3% 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	Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services	69	54.8%	100%	0%
2	Finance and Insurance	24	19%	100%	0%
3	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	12	9.5%	100%	0%
4	Health Care and Social Assistance	9	7.1%	100%	0%
5	Educational Services	6	4.8%	100%	0%
6	Manufacturing	4	3.2%	100%	0%
7	Public Administration	1	0.8%	100%	0%

Company Name	Industries	Total Petitions	% Approved	% Denied
National Hospitalist Services, PC	Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services, Health Care and Social Assistance	35	100%	0%
Hospitalist and Emergency Services	Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services, Health Care and Social Assistance	26	100%	0%
First Horizon Bank	Finance and Insurance	25	100%	0%
Technician Rakers, Inc.	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	6	100%	0%
Emergency Care Management, LLC	Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services	4	100%	0%
Stuller, Inc.	Manufacturing	4	100%	0%
Lafayette Parish School System	Educational Services	3	100%	0%
The Integration Group of Americas	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	2	100%	0%
Hospitalist Services of Arkansas P	Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services	2	100%	0%
Hospitalist Services of Georgia, PC	Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services	2	100%	0%
Lafayette Health Ventures, Inc.	Health Care and Social Assistance	2	100%	0%
St. Martin Parish School Board	Educational Services	2	100%	0%
Southern Integrated Solutions and	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	2	100%	0%
University of Louisiana at Lafayet	Educational Services	1	100%	0%
TSG Resources, Inc.	Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services	1	100%	0%
Reliapath a Professional Medical LLC, LLC	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	100%	0%
Pediatric Group of Acadiana, L L C	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	100%	0%
Patient Care New Jersey D B a, Inc.	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	100%	0%
Medicine Clinic of Acadiana, LLC	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	100%	0%
LHC Group, Inc.	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	100%	0%
Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government	Public Administration	1	100%	0%
Dupre Logistics, LLC	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	100%	0%
C H Fenstermaker and Associates, LLC	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	100%	0%
Acadiana Pedatric Gastroenterolog	Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services	1	100%	0%