Topeka Sun

In 2024, 21 of the 22 H-1B petitions submitted by employers classified under the Health Care and Social Assistance industry located across Topeka 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 95.5%, which is lower than the average in Kansas across all industries.

That year, the statewide average approval rate for H-1B petitions stood at 98.6%, slightly higher than 2023's 97.9%. Across the publication area, employers across all industries submitted 103 petitions during the same period, with an approval rate of 99%.

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. 

The Educational Services industry led the H-1B filings in Topeka Sun publication area during 2024, with 49 petitions (47.6% of all submissions), and an approval rate of 100%. Meanwhile, the Health Care and Social Assistance industry was the second largest contributor, filing 22 petitions (21.4% of the total), with an approval rate of 95.5%.

The University of Kansas Physicians and Amberwell Atchison Association with five other employers led the industry in the publication area with the highest approval rate of 100% each.

Compared to 2023, the Health Care and Social Assistance sector saw an 18.5% decrease in the number of H-1B petitions across Topeka Sun 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	Educational Services	49	47.6%	100%	0%
2	Health Care and Social Assistance	22	21.4%	95.5%	4.5%
3	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	13	12.6%	100%	0%
4	Public Administration	5	4.9%	100%	0%
4	Finance and Insurance	5	4.9%	100%	0%
6	Other Services (except Public Administration)	4	3.9%	100%	0%
7	Wholesale Trade	1	1%	100%	0%
7	Transportation and Warehousing	1	1%	100%	0%
7	Manufacturing	1	1%	100%	0%
7	Information	1	1%	100%	0%
7	Accommodation and Food Services	1	1%	100%	0%

Company Name	Industry	Total Petitions	% Approved	% Denied
Topeka Public Schools Unified Scho	Educational Services	40	100%	0%
The University of Kansas Physicians	Health Care and Social Assistance	10	90%	10%
Stormont Vail Healthcare	Health Care and Social Assistance	7	100%	0%
Civicplus, LLC	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	5	100%	0%
Federal Home Loan Bank of Topeka	Finance and Insurance	5	100%	0%
Washburn University	Educational Services	4	100%	0%
The University of Kansas	Public Administration	4	100%	0%
Treanorhl, Inc.	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	2	100%	0%
Info Origin, Inc.	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	2	100%	0%
Great Plains Annual Conference of	Other Services (except Public Administration)	2	100%	0%
Auburn-Washburn USD 437	Educational Services	2	100%	0%
Amberwell Atchison Association	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	100%	0%
Unified School District No 383	Educational Services	1	100%	0%
U S D 501 Topeka Public Schools	Educational Services	1	100%	0%
Ascension via Christi Hospital Manhattan, Inc.	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	100%	0%
Asset Lifecycle, LLC	Wholesale Trade	1	100%	0%
Topeka Hospital, LLC	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	100%	0%
Bartlett and West, Inc.	Transportation and Warehousing	1	100%	0%
The Lawrence Memorial Hospital	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	100%	0%
Benedictine College	Educational Services	1	100%	0%
Prairie Band Potawatomi Entertainm	Accommodation and Food Services	1	100%	0%
Oral Health Kansas, Inc.	Other Services (except Public Administration)	1	100%	0%
Lenere, LLC	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	100%	0%
Kansas-Nebraska Conference of Seve	Other Services (except Public Administration)	1	100%	0%
Kansas Health Information Network	Information	1	100%	0%
Biodata Solutions	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	100%	0%
Hydrograph USA, Ltd.	Manufacturing	1	100%	0%
City of Lawrence Kansas	Public Administration	1	100%	0%
Cook Flatt and Strobel Engineers P	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	100%	0%
Custom Dredge Works, Inc.	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	100%	0%
Cosmos It Solutions, Inc.	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	100%	0%