Central Iowa Times

In 2024, 680 of the 811 H-2A petitions submitted in the Central Iowa Times publication area were approved, according to data provided by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services via H-2A Employer Data Hub. They were filed by employers based in the state.

This represents an approval rate of 83.8%, which is lower than the nationwide average.

That year, the average approval rate for H-2A petitions across the U.S. stood at 98.8%, slightly higher than 2023's 98.4%.

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

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.

The Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting industry was the only industry in the Central Iowa Times publication area during 2024.

The local employers with most temporary visa requests during 2024 included Alewelt Concrete, Inc., which filed 463 petitions with an approval rate of 71.7%, Flores Construction, LLC with 64 petitions and an approval rate of 100%, and Iowa Select Farms, LLLP, which filed 43 petitions with an approval rate of 100%.

Compared to 2023, Central Iowa Times publication area saw a 54.2% decrease in the number of seasonal agricultural visas 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.

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.

Rank	Industry	Total Petitions	% of All Submissions	% Approved	% Denied
1	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	811	100%	83.8%	16.2%

Company Name	Industry	Total Petitions	% Approved	% Denied
Alewelt Concrete, Inc.	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	463	71.7%	28.3%
Flores Construction, LLC	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	64	100%	0%
Iowa Select Farms, LLLP	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	43	100%	0%
Drew Brandt Construction, Inc.	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	38	100%	0%
Summit Farms, LLC	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	30	100%	0%
North Star Agent Construction, Inc.	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	28	100%	0%
Santi Construction, LLC	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	28	100%	0%
Viking Agent Equipment, LLC	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	10	100%	0%
Ram Nutrient Applications, LLC	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	10	100%	0%
Precision Pumping, LLC	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	7	100%	0%
Lanus Enterprises, LLC	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	7	100%	0%
TJ Thomas Farms, LLC	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	7	100%	0%
I M Possible Productions, LLC	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	7	100%	0%
Cedar Oak Farms, LLC	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	6	100%	0%
Iowa River Agent, LLC	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	5	100%	0%
Josh Berte Construction, Inc.	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	5	100%	0%
Black Dirt Drainage, LLC	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	5	100%	0%
J a Buseman Farms	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	5	100%	0%
Jordahl Farms	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	4	100%	0%
Murray Mcmurray Hatchery, Inc.	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	4	100%	0%
Jacg, LLC	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	3	100%	0%
Martin Family Farms	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	3	100%	0%
Flores Construction	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	3	100%	0%
Nels, LLC	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	3	100%	0%
Janes Farmland, LLC	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	3	100%	0%
Harold a Trask	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	3	100%	0%
Matthew Mccarthy	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	3	100%	0%
M S Pearson, Inc.	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	2	100%	0%
Vierkandt Farms	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	2	100%	0%
Adam Harvey, LLC	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	2	100%	0%
Jorgensen Equipment Company, LLC	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	2	100%	0%
Cedar Redworks, LLC	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	2	100%	0%
Kendal Martin Farms	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	1	100%	0%
Wells Farms South, LLC	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	1	100%	0%
Dat Enterprises	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	1	100%	0%
KD Farm Operations, Inc.	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	1	100%	0%