Portage Times

In 2024, 25 of the 26 H-1B petitions submitted by employers classified under the Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services industry located across Portage Times publication area were approved, according to data provided by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services via the H-1B Employer Data Hub.

This represents an approval rate of 96.2%, which is lower than the average in Ohio across all industries.

That year, the statewide average approval rate for H-1B petitions stood at 98%, slightly higher than 2023's 96.7%. Across the publication area, employers across all industries submitted 60 petitions during the same period, with an approval rate of 98.3%.

For comparison, the U.S. reported an average approval rate of 98% in 2024.

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. 

While the Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services industry led the H-1B filings with 26 petitions, representing 43.3% of all submissions in Portage Times publication area during 2024, the next largest contributor was the Manufacturing industry, which accounted for 19 petitions and represented 31.7% of the total. Among petitions from employers in the Manufacturing industry, all were approved.

The Portage Times employers that filed the most petitions in the Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services sector in Portage Times publication area during 2024 were The Davey Tree Expert Company and Vayu, Inc., each with five petitions.

The Davey Tree Expert Company led the industry in the publication area with the highest approval rate of 100% for its five petitions in 2024, followed by The Davey Tree Expert Company, which achieved the second-highest approval rate of 80% for its five petitions.

Compared to 2023, the Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services sector saw a 100% increase in the number of H-1B petitions across Portage Times publication area 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	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	26	43.3%	96.2%	3.8%
2	Manufacturing	19	31.7%	100%	0%
3	Educational Services	8	13.3%	100%	0%
4	Wholesale Trade	3	5%	100%	0%
5	Retail Trade	2	3.3%	100%	0%
6	Finance and Insurance	1	1.7%	100%	0%
6	Other Services (except Public Administration)	1	1.7%	100%	0%

Company Name	Industry	Total Petitions	% Approved	% Denied
Northeast Ohio Medical University	Educational Services	6	100%	0%
Vayu, Inc.	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	5	100%	0%
The Davey Tree Expert Company	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	5	80%	20%
Micro Poise Measurement Systems, LLC	Manufacturing	5	100%	0%
Great Lakes Cheese Company, Inc.	Manufacturing	4	100%	0%
Talis Clinical, LLC	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	4	100%	0%
Boxout, LLC	Wholesale Trade	3	100%	0%
Luxium Solutions, LLC	Manufacturing	3	100%	0%
Rovisys Building Technologies, LLC	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	2	100%	0%
The Rovisys Company, Inc.	Manufacturing	2	100%	0%
Eric Does Data, LLC	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	2	100%	0%
Hiram College	Educational Services	2	100%	0%
Jo Ann Stores Support Center, Inc.	Retail Trade	2	100%	0%
Matco Tools Corporation	Manufacturing	2	100%	0%
State Power Fund	Other Services (except Public Administration)	1	100%	0%
Taazaa, LLC	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	100%	0%
Tyres International, Inc.	Manufacturing	1	100%	0%
Video Products, Inc.	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	100%	0%
Wardjet, LLC	Manufacturing	1	100%	0%
Pathogen Systems, Inc.	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	100%	0%
Kent Displays, Inc.	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	100%	0%
DRB Systems, LLC	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	100%	0%
Diebold Nixdorf Incorporated	Finance and Insurance	1	100%	0%
Design House, Inc.	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	100%	0%
Arlington Valley Farms, LLC	Manufacturing	1	100%	0%
Adaptive Corporation	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	100%	0%
AA Applications, LLC	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	100%	0%