Sangamon Sun

In 2024, 141 of the 142 H-1B petitions submitted by employers based in the Sangamon Sun 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 99.3%, which is higher than the nationwide average.

That year, the average approval rate for H-1B petitions across the U.S. stood at 98%, slightly higher than the 97.3% recorded in 2023. Statewide, employers in Illinois across all industries submitted 20,166 petitions during the same period, with an approval rate of 98.7%.

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 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services industry led H-1B petition approvals in the Sangamon Sun publication area during 2024, filing a total of 120 petitions (84.5% of all submissions) and receiving 119 approvals, resulting in an approval rate of 99.2%. The Health Care and Social Assistance industry followed, with 10 petitions (7% of all submissions) and an approval rate of 100%.

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

The employers that filed the most petitions in the area during 2024 included Synapsis, Inc. with 43 petitions and all of them approved, Lead It Corporation with 22 petitions and all of them approved, and MSR Technology Group, LLC with 16 petitions filed and an approval rate of 100%.

Compared to 2023, Illinois saw a 34.1% 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	% Denied
1	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	120	84.5%	99.2%	0.8%
2	Health Care and Social Assistance	10	7%	100%	0%
3	Educational Services	9	6.3%	100%	0%
4	Manufacturing	1	0.7%	100%	0%
4	Real Estate and Rental and Leasing	1	0.7%	100%	0%

Company Name	Industry	Total Petitions	% Approved	% Denied
Synapsis, Inc.	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	43	100%	0%
Lead It Corporation	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	22	100%	0%
MSR Technology Group, LLC	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	16	100%	0%
Cira Tek, Inc.	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	13	92.3%	7.7%
Southern Illinois University Carbondale	Educational Services	8	100%	0%
Bitsio, Inc.	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	5	100%	0%
Crawford Murphy and Tilly, Inc.	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	5	100%	0%
Springfield Clinic	Health Care and Social Assistance	4	100%	0%
HSHS Medical Group, Inc.	Health Care and Social Assistance	4	100%	0%
Superior Unit, Corp.	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	3	100%	0%
Productive Resources, LLC	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	2	100%	0%
Capitol Strategies Consulting, Inc.	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	2	100%	0%
Medcomps Corporation	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	2	100%	0%
Remwes, LLC	Real Estate and Rental and Leasing	1	100%	0%
Springfield Electric Supply Company	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	100%	0%
Springfield Urban League, Inc.	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	100%	0%
University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign	Educational Services	1	100%	0%
Prairie Cardiovascular Consultants, Ltd.	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	100%	0%
Levi Ray Shoup, Inc.	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	100%	0%
Hanson Professional Services, Inc.	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	100%	0%
Greene and Bradford of Springf, Inc.	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	100%	0%
Dyna Consulting Services, Inc.	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	100%	0%
Bunn O Matic Corporation	Manufacturing	1	100%	0%
Bowsher Information Systems, Inc.	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	100%	0%
Beta Eight, Inc.	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	100%	0%
Arkind Solutions, LLC	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	100%	0%