Austin Business Daily coverage area records 1,876 H-2A employer petitions in 2024

During 2024, employers located within the Austin Business Daily publication area submitted a total of 1,876 H-2A visa petitions, according to data provided by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services via the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services via the H-2A Employer Data Hub.

Out of these submissions, 1,845 petitions were approved, representing a 98.3% approval rate, while 31 petitions were denied, accounting for 1.7%.

The H-2A visa program allows U.S. employers to hire foreign workers for temporary or seasonal agricultural jobs when enough domestic workers are unavailable. Employers must demonstrate a short-term need and that hiring foreign workers will not negatively affect U.S. workers’ wages or working conditions. These jobs must first be offered to U.S. workers, and both domestic and H-2A workers must receive at least the highest of the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) or other wage benchmarks.

Nationally, the average approval rate for H-2A petitions in 2024 was 98.8%, a slight increase from 98.4% in 2023.

The Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting industry led the H-2A filings in Austin Business Daily publication area during 2024, with 1,842 petitions (98.2% of all submissions), and an approval rate of 98.3%. Meanwhile, the Construction industry was the second largest contributor, filing 16 petitions (0.9% of the total), with an approval rate of 100%.

In the Austin Business Daily publication area, the Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting sector dominated H-2A filings in 2024 with 1,842 petitions, making up 98.2% of all submissions and achieving a 98.3% approval rate. The Construction industry ranked second, submitting 16 petitions (0.9% of the total) with a perfect 100% approval rate.

Among local employers, Signet Farm Services, LLC led with 542 petitions and a 100% approval rate, followed by Signet Construction, LLC, which filed 231 petitions and received approvals for 97.4% of them.

The Austin Business Daily coverage area experienced a 37.7% decline in H-2A petition filings in 2024 compared to the previous year.

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.

Due to manual data entry and the use of paper forms by applicants or petitioners, occasional discrepancies in employer names, tax IDs, locations, or other details may be found in the H-2A Employer Data Hub provided by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which is the data used in this article. Despite these potential issues, USCIS works to ensure accuracy.

Information in this story was obtained from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The source data can be found here.