H-2A insights: 1,048 petitions filed by Augusta Commercial publication area employers in 2024

In 2024, employers located within the Augusta Commercial publication area submitted a total of 1,048 H-2A 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.

Every petition filed in this period received approval.

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 98.4% in 2023.

The Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting industry led the H-2A filings in Augusta Commercial publication area during 2024, with 1,046 petitions (99.8% of all submissions), and an approval rate of 100%. Meanwhile, the Manufacturing industry was the second largest contributor, filing two petitions (0.2% of the total), with an approval rate of 100%.

The Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting sector dominated H-2A filings in the Augusta Commercial publication area during 2024, accounting for 1,046 petitions—99.8% of all submissions—with a 100% approval rate. The Manufacturing industry followed with two petitions, representing 0.2% of the total, also approved at 100%.

Among local employers, Junior Harvesting, LLC led with 192 petitions approved at a 100% rate, followed by LG Herndon JR Farms, Inc., which filed 167 petitions, all approved.

The number of H-2A petitions submitted in the Augusta Commercial publication area declined by 5.8% 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.