2024 H-1B petitions: Approvals for employers classified under Wholesale Trade industry across Howard County News publication area

In 2024, all H-1B petitions submitted by employers classified under the Wholesale Trade industry located across Howard County News 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 100%, which is higher than the average in Maryland across all industries.

That year, the statewide average approval rate for H-1B petitions stood at 97%, slightly higher than 2023’s 96.1%. Across the publication area, employers across all industries submitted 1,066 petitions during the same period, with an approval rate of 97.7%.

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 875 petitions, representing 82.1% of all submissions in Howard County News publication area during 2024, the next largest contributor was the Health Care and Social Assistance industry, which accounted for 68 petitions and represented 6.4% of the total. Among petitions from employers in the Health Care and Social Assistance industry, all were approved.

The employers that filed the most petitions in the Wholesale Trade sector in Howard County News publication area during 2024 included Rohde and Schwarz USA, Inc. with 12 petitions, Eastland Food Corporation with 10 petitions, and Tenable, Inc. with three.

Compared to 2023, the Wholesale Trade sector saw a 28.6% decrease in the number of H-1B petitions across Howard County News 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.