2,391 H-2A petitions submitted by employers in SF Commercial News coverage area in 2024

During 2024, employers located in the SF Commercial News publication area submitted a total of 2,391 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, 2,389 petitions were approved, representing a 99.9% approval rate, while only two petitions were denied, accounting for less than 0.1%.

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 the 98.4% rate recorded in 2023.

The Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting industry led the H-2A filings in SF Commercial News publication area during 2024, with 2,375 petitions (99.3% of all submissions), and an approval rate of 99.9%. Meanwhile, the Manufacturing industry was the second largest contributor, filing 16 petitions (0.7% of the total), with an approval rate of 100%.

In the SF Commercial News coverage area, the Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting sector dominated H-2A filings in 2024 with 2,375 petitions, accounting for 99.3% of all submissions and maintaining a 99.9% approval rate. The Manufacturing sector ranked second, submitting 16 petitions, or 0.7% of the total, all of which were approved.

Among local employers, MCF4 Solutions, LLC submitted the highest number of temporary agricultural visa requests in 2024 with 380 petitions and achieved a 100% approval rate. Buenaventura Ranch, LLC followed with 305 petitions and a 99.3% approval rate.

The SF Commercial News publication area experienced a 9.6% decline in the number of H-2A petitions filed 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.