Sioux Empire Today

In 2024, all H-1B petitions submitted by employers classified under the Manufacturing industry located across Sioux Empire Today 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 South Dakota across all industries.

That year, the statewide average approval rate for H-1B petitions stood at 97%, slightly lower than 2023's 99.1%. Across the publication area, employers across all industries submitted 718 petitions during the same period, with an approval rate of 98.1%.

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 Finance and Insurance industry led the H-1B filings with 427 petitions, representing 59.5% of all submissions in Sioux Empire Today publication area during 2024, the next largest contributor was the Health Care and Social Assistance industry, which accounted for 182 petitions and represented 25.3% of the total. Among petitions from employers in the Health Care and Social Assistance industry, 94% were approved and 6% were denied.

The employers in the Manufacturing sector in Sioux Empire Today publication area included Raven Applied Technologies, LLC with five petitions, Sencore, Inc., and Sonifi Solutions, Inc. with one petition each during 2024.

Compared to 2023, the Manufacturing sector saw a 73.1% decrease in the number of H-1B petitions across Sioux Empire Today 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	Finance and Insurance	427	59.5%	99.8%	0.2%
2	Health Care and Social Assistance	182	25.3%	94%	6%
3	Educational Services	35	4.9%	100%	0%
4	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	27	3.8%	96.3%	3.7%
5	Manufacturing	7	1%	100%	0%
6	Information	3	0.4%	100%	0%
7	Wholesale Trade	1	0.1%	0%	100%

Company Name	Industries	Total Petitions	% Approved	% Denied
Wells Fargo Bank, N A	Finance and Insurance	446	99.8%	0.2%
Sanford Clinic	Health Care and Social Assistance	50	100%	0%
Sanford	Health Care and Social Assistance	43	81.4%	18.6%
Sanford Health	Health Care and Social Assistance	30	96.7%	3.3%
Avera Mckennan	Health Care and Social Assistance	23	91.3%	8.7%
Sioux Falls School District 49-5	Educational Services	17	100%	0%
Ultimus Solutions, Inc.	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	16	100%	0%
Sanford School of Medicine of the University of South Dakota Residency Corporation	Educational Services	12	100%	0%
Sanford Clinic North	Health Care and Social Assistance	12	100%	0%
Sanford Medical Center Fargo	Health Care and Social Assistance	11	100%	0%
Sanford Bismarck	Health Care and Social Assistance	10	100%	0%
Augustana University	Educational Services	6	100%	0%
Raven Applied Technologies, LLC	Manufacturing	5	100%	0%
Resource Infosoft, Inc.	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	5	80%	20%
Wells Fargo Securities, LLC	Finance and Insurance	4	100%	0%
Sanford Research	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	4	100%	0%
Premier Bankcard, LLC	Finance and Insurance	4	100%	0%
Experity, Inc.	Health Care and Social Assistance	3	100%	0%
Midcontinent Communications	Information	2	100%	0%
Sanford Health of Northern Minneso	Health Care and Social Assistance	2	100%	0%
Sonifi Solutions, Inc.	Manufacturing, Information	2	100%	0%
Capital Card Services, Inc.	Finance and Insurance	2	100%	0%
Otter Audits, LLC	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	100%	0%
Omnitech, Inc.	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	100%	0%
Sanford Health Plan	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	100%	0%
JDS Industries, Inc.	Wholesale Trade	1	0%	100%
Horizon Health Care, Inc.	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	100%	0%
Sencore, Inc.	Manufacturing	1	100%	0%
Carroll Institute	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	100%	0%
Avera Health	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	100%	0%
Adams Thermal Systems, Inc.		1	100%	0%