Mountain State Times

In 2024, 221 of the 225 H-1B petitions submitted by employers based in West Virginia 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 98.2%, which is higher than the nationwide average.

In 2024, the average approval rate for H-1B petitions across the U.S. stood at 98%, slightly higher than the 97.3% recorded in 2023.

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 Educational Services industry led H-1B petition approvals in West Virginia during 2024, filing a total of 87 petitions (38.7% of all submissions) and receiving 86 approvals, resulting in an approval rate of 98.9%. The Health Care and Social Assistance industry followed, with 72 petitions (32% of all submissions), receiving approvals for all of them.

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

The West Virginia employers with the most approvals during 2024 included West Virginia University, filing a total of 62 petitions and receiving 60 approvals, resulting in an approval rate of 96.8%, and Marshall University, which filed 26 petitions and received approvals for all of them.

Compared to 2023, West Virginia saw a 7.4% 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 Petitions	% Approved	% Denied
1	Educational Services	87	38.7%	86	98.9%	1.1%
2	Health Care and Social Assistance	72	32%	72	100%	0%
3	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	44	19.6%	44	100%	0%
4	Manufacturing	8	3.6%	8	100%	0%
5	Transportation and Warehousing	2	0.9%	2	100%	0%
5	Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction	2	0.9%	2	100%	0%
7	Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation	2	0.9%	1	50%	50%
7	Wholesale Trade	1	0.4%	1	100%	0%
7	Other Services (except Public Administration)	1	0.4%	1	100%	0%
10	Information	1	0.4%	0	0%	100%

Rank	Company Name	Industry(ies)	Total Petitions	Approved Petitions	% Approved	% Denied
1	West Virginia University	Educational Services	62	60	96.8%	3.2%
2	Marshall University	Educational Services; Health Care and Social Assistance	26	26	100%	0%
3	Mahantech Corporation	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	25	25	100%	0%
4	University Physicians and Surgeons, Inc.	Health Care and Social Assistance	16	16	100%	0%
5	West Virginia University Medical C	Health Care and Social Assistance	9	9	100%	0%
6	Camden Clark Physician Inc., Corp.	Health Care and Social Assistance	8	8	100%	0%
7	Charleston Area Medical Center, Inc.	Health Care and Social Assistance	7	7	100%	0%
8	West Virginia University Hospitals, Inc.	Health Care and Social Assistance	5	5	100%	0%
8	West Virginia University Research Corporation	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	5	5	100%	0%
10	West Virginia State University	Educational Services	4	4	100%	0%
11	Nucor Steel West Virginia, LLC	Manufacturing	3	3	100%	0%
11	United Hospital Center	Health Care and Social Assistance	3	3	100%	0%
11	Monongalia County Board of Educati		3	3	100%	0%
11	Keylogic Systems	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	3	3	100%	0%
15	Sinfotech, LLC	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	2	2	100%	0%
15	Preston Memorial Hospital, Corp.	Health Care and Social Assistance	2	2	100%	0%
15	St. Marys Medical Center	Health Care and Social Assistance	2	2	100%	0%
15	Princeton Community Hospital Association, Inc.	Health Care and Social Assistance	2	2	100%	0%
15	Roane County Board of Education	Educational Services	2	2	100%	0%
15	Davis Memorial Hospital	Health Care and Social Assistance	2	2	100%	0%
15	Concord University	Educational Services	2	2	100%	0%
15	American Public Education, Inc.	Educational Services	2	2	100%	0%
23	Steptoe and Johnson, PLLC	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	1	100%	0%
23	Sunlune Corporation	Manufacturing	1	1	100%	0%
23	Taishan Resources, LLC	Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction	1	1	100%	0%
23	Sostos, LLC	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	1	100%	0%
23	Sogefi USA, Inc.	Manufacturing	1	1	100%	0%
23	The Thrasher Group, Inc.	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	1	100%	0%
23	Shepherd University	Educational Services	1	1	100%	0%
23	Wheeling Hospital, Inc.	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	1	100%	0%
23	ZDS, LLC	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	1	100%	0%
23	Roxul USA, Inc.	Manufacturing	1	1	100%	0%
23	AVN Corporation	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	1	100%	0%
23	BCKP Regional Intergovernmental Company	Transportation and Warehousing	1	1	100%	0%
23	Daniels Company West Virginia, Inc.	Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction	1	1	100%	0%
23	Diamond Electric Manufacturing Corporation	Manufacturing	1	1	100%	0%
23	Fitness Fun and Freedom, Inc.	Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation	1	1	100%	0%
23	Gestamp West Virginia, LLC	Manufacturing	1	1	100%	0%
23	Glenville State University	Educational Services	1	1	100%	0%
23	Greenbrier County Board of Educati	Educational Services	1	1	100%	0%
23	Heritage Farm Foundation	Wholesale Trade; Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation	2	1	50%	50%
23	Hospital Development Company D B a	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	1	100%	0%
23	Iskcon New Vrindaban, Inc.	Other Services (except Public Administration)	1	1	100%	0%
23	M and S Consulting, LLC	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	1	100%	0%
23	Marshall University Research Corporation	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	1	100%	0%
23	Mcmillion Research, LLC	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	1	100%	0%
23	MHI RJ Aviation, Inc.	Transportation and Warehousing	1	1	100%	0%
23	Monongalia County General Hospital	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	1	100%	0%
23	Mountwest Community and Technical	Educational Services	1	1	100%	0%
23	Quality Insights, Inc.	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	1	100%	0%
51	Coat of ARMS, LLC	Information	1	0	0%	100%