Big Sky Times

In 2024, 164 of the 168 H-1B petitions submitted by employers based in Montana 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 97.6%, which is lower than the nationwide average.

In 2024, the average approval rate for H-1B petitions across the U.S. stood at 98%, slightly higher than the 97.3% recorded in 2023.

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 H-1B petition approvals in Montana during 2024, filing a total of 57 petitions (33.9% of all submissions) and receiving 56 approvals, resulting in an approval rate of 98.2%. The Health Care and Social Assistance industry followed, with 51 petitions (30.4% of all submissions), receiving approvals for all of them.

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

The Montana employers with the most approvals during 2024 included Fair Isaac Corporation, filing a total of 22 petitions and receiving approvals for all of them, and University of Montana, which filed 18 petitions and received approvals for all of them.

Compared to 2023, Montana saw a 5.6% 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 Petitions	% Approved	% Denied
1	Educational Services	57	33.9%	56	98.2%	1.8%
2	Health Care and Social Assistance	51	30.4%	51	100%	0%
3	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	44	26.2%	43	97.7%	2.3%
4	Manufacturing	5	3%	5	100%	0%
4	Finance and Insurance	5	3%	5	100%	0%
6	Information	2	1.2%	2	100%	0%
7	Other Services (except Public Administration)	1	0.6%	1	100%	0%
8	Transportation and Warehousing	1	0.6%	0	0%	100%
8	Public Administration	1	0.6%	0	0%	100%

Rank	Company Name	Industry(ies)	Total Petitions	Approved Petitions	% Approved	% Denied
1	Fair Isaac Corporation	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	22	22	100%	0%
2	University of Montana	Educational Services	18	18	100%	0%
3	Billings Clinic	Health Care and Social Assistance	12	12	100%	0%
4	Montana State University	Educational Services	12	11	91.7%	8.3%
5	Tana Systems, Inc.	Manufacturing; Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	11	10	90.9%	9.1%
6	Benefis Health System, Inc.	Health Care and Social Assistance	8	8	100%	0%
7	Brockton School District 55 and 55F	Educational Services	7	7	100%	0%
8	Northeast Montana Health Services, Inc.	Health Care and Social Assistance	6	6	100%	0%
9	D a Davidson and Company	Finance and Insurance	4	4	100%	0%
9	County of Blaine Blaine County School	Educational Services	4	4	100%	0%
11	Electrical Consultants, Inc.	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	3	3	100%	0%
11	Jordan Public Schools	Educational Services	3	3	100%	0%
11	Montana State University Billings	Educational Services	3	3	100%	0%
11	Northern Montana Health Care D, Inc.	Health Care and Social Assistance	3	3	100%	0%
11	Sidney Health Center	Health Care and Social Assistance	3	3	100%	0%
16	Ruby Valley Hospital	Health Care and Social Assistance	2	2	100%	0%
16	Lame Deer Public School District N	Educational Services	2	2	100%	0%
16	Snowflake, Inc.	Information	2	2	100%	0%
16	Wheatland Memorial Healthcare	Health Care and Social Assistance	2	2	100%	0%
16	Glendive Medical Center	Health Care and Social Assistance	2	2	100%	0%
16	Wolf Point Public School District 45 45A	Educational Services	2	2	100%	0%
16	Dahl Memorial Healthcare Association, Inc.	Health Care and Social Assistance	2	2	100%	0%
23	Phillips County Hospital Association	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	1	100%	0%
23	Pioneer Medical Center	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	1	100%	0%
23	Powell Company Memorial Hospital Association	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	1	100%	0%
23	Rhithron Associates, Inc.	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	1	100%	0%
23	Central Montana Medical Center	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	1	100%	0%
23	Shelby Public School District 14	Educational Services	1	1	100%	0%
23	Smartlam Enterprises US LLC, NA	Manufacturing	1	1	100%	0%
23	Cennox, Inc.	Other Services (except Public Administration)	1	1	100%	0%
23	Sokn Engineering, Inc.	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	1	100%	0%
23	St. Luke Community Healthcare	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	1	100%	0%
23	Carroll College	Educational Services	1	1	100%	0%
23	Tigris Nephrology, PLLC	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	1	100%	0%
23	Turner School District 43	Educational Services	1	1	100%	0%
23	Bozeman Deaconess Health Services	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	1	100%	0%
23	Wayne State University		1	1	100%	0%
23	Bloomifai, LLC	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	1	100%	0%
23	ARKK Technologies, LLC	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	1	100%	0%
23	Glacier Eye Clinic, PC	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	1	100%	0%
23	Engineering, Inc.	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	1	100%	0%
23	Great Falls Clinic	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	1	100%	0%
23	Hardin School Districts 17H and 1	Educational Services	1	1	100%	0%
23	Healthsource Partners DK HM, LLC	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	1	100%	0%
23	Indian Law Resource Center	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	1	100%	0%
23	Drover, Inc.	Manufacturing	1	1	100%	0%
23	Dawson Community College	Educational Services	1	1	100%	0%
23	Lumenad, Inc.	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	1	100%	0%
23	Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	1	100%	0%
23	Montana Health Cooperative	Finance and Insurance	1	1	100%	0%
23	Daniels Memorial Hospital	Health Care and Social Assistance	1	1	100%	0%
23	Neuro-ID, Inc.	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	1	1	100%	0%
23	Nomad Global Communication Solutio	Manufacturing	1	1	100%	0%
23	County of Valley School District 23	Educational Services	1	1	100%	0%
23	Churchill Equipment Company, Inc.	Manufacturing	1	1	100%	0%
56	Central Copters, Inc.	Transportation and Warehousing	1	0	0%	100%
56	Gallatin County	Public Administration	1	0	0%	100%