Western South Dakota News

In 2024, all seven H-2A petitions submitted by an employer classified under the Construction industry based in the Western South Dakota News 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 Cornerstone Industries and Construction Services, LLC, an employer based in the publication area.

This represents an approval rate of 100%, which is higher than the nationwide average.

In 2024, 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.

Compared to 2023, Western South Dakota News publication area saw an unchanged 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	151	95.6%	100%	0%
2	Construction	7	4.4%	100%	0%

Company Name	Industry	Total Petitions	% Approved	% Denied
Lindskov Ranch	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	20	100%	0%
Maher Cattle, LLC	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	16	100%	0%
Timber Lake ELK Ranch, LLC	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	14	100%	0%
J and L Maher, Inc.	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	13	100%	0%
Lazy VC Kelly Ranch, Inc.	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	13	100%	0%
Scot Eisenbraun	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	8	100%	0%
Cornerstone Industries and Construction Services, LLC	Construction	7	100%	0%
Jason Fees	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	7	100%	0%
Broken Anvil, Inc.	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	7	100%	0%
Corson County Feeders	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	6	100%	0%
Paul Taylor	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	6	100%	0%
Tolton Land and Cattle, LLC	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	6	100%	0%
Fall River Feedyard, LLC	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	5	100%	0%
5C Farm, LLC	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	5	100%	0%
Kent Schneider	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	4	100%	0%
Jade Lyon	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	4	100%	0%
Bryant Schauer	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	3	100%	0%
Reece Leonard	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	3	100%	0%
Strangle Leaf Agent	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	2	100%	0%
Air Kraft Spraying, Inc.	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	2	100%	0%
Morrison Family Farm, LLC	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	2	100%	0%
Ryan Kruse	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	2	100%	0%
Howe Seeds, Inc.	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	1	100%	0%
Tate Eisenbraun	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	1	100%	0%
Sunrise Ranch, LLC	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	1	100%	0%

Information in this story was obtained from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The source data can be found here.