Yellowhammer Times

In 2024, all 1,082 of the H-2A petitions submitted by employers classified under the Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting industry based in Alabama were approved, according to data provided by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services via the H-2A Employer Data Hub.

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

The average approval rate for H-2A petitions across the U.S. stood at 98.8% in 2024, slightly higher than the 98.4% recorded in 2023.

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.

While the Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting industry led the H-2A filings with 1,082 petitions, representing 92.7% of all submissions in Alabama during 2024, the next largest contributor was the Wholesale Trade industry, which accounted for 85 petitions and represented 7.3% of the total. Among petitions from employers in the Wholesale Trade industry, 100% were approved.

The Alabama employers with the most approvals classified under the Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting industry during 2024 included Evelin Lopez, filing a total of 149 petitions and receiving approvals for all of them, and Alex Kontos Fruit Company, which filed 147 petitions and received approvals for all of them.

Compared to 2023, the Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting sector in Alabama saw an 11% 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 Petitions	% Approved	% Denied
1	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	1,082	92.7%	1,082	100%	0%
2	Wholesale Trade	85	7.3%	85	100%	0%

Rank	Company Name	Total Petitions	% Approved	% Denied
1	Evelin Lopez	149	100%	0%
2	Alex Kontos Fruit Company	147	100%	0%
3	Young S Plant Farm, Inc.	130	100%	0%
4	Tom Dodd Nurseries, Inc.	90	100%	0%
5	Stokley Nursery, LLC	70	100%	0%
6	Flowerwood Nursery, Inc.	66	100%	0%
7	Jimmy W Durbin Farms	50	100%	0%
8	Alabama Catfish, LLC	49	100%	0%
9	Willoughby Farms, LLC	30	100%	0%
10	Sandy Bay Oyster Company	28	100%	0%
11	Milstead Farm Group, Inc.	19	100%	0%
12	Martin S Nursery, Inc.	18	100%	0%
13	Woerner Farms, LLC	17	100%	0%
14	Autauga Farming Company, Inc.	12	100%	0%
15	Servico, Inc.	10	100%	0%
16	Alta Turf, Inc.	9	100%	0%
17	Scotts Orchard	8	100%	0%
17	Circle C Farms, Inc.	8	100%	0%
17	Colby Willoughby Farms	8	100%	0%
20	Turner Farms Nursery	7	100%	0%
21	Higher Wire Farms, LLC	6	100%	0%
21	Shelby Sod Company, Inc.	6	100%	0%
21	Albemarle, Corp.	6	100%	0%
21	Oakland Gin Company	6	100%	0%
21	Wootten Farms, Inc.	6	100%	0%
26	Clark Farms Partnership	5	100%	0%
26	Morris and Morris Farms	5	100%	0%
26	Ireland Farms, LLC	5	100%	0%
26	Turner Brothers Farm, LLC	5	100%	0%
26	Haynes Farming Company, LLC	5	100%	0%
26	Newby Farms	5	100%	0%
32	James Martin Farms, LLC	4	100%	0%
32	Murphree Seed Farm, Inc.	4	100%	0%
32	Sandollar Cattle Farm, LLC	4	100%	0%
32	Mountain View Orchards, LLC	4	100%	0%
32	Frank Turner Construction Company, Inc.	4	100%	0%
32	Dadeo, Inc.	4	100%	0%
32	Cleverdon Farms, Inc.	4	100%	0%
32	Catfish Wireless, LLC	4	100%	0%
32	Cassebaum Farms, Inc.	4	100%	0%
32	Dombhart Farms, LLC	4	100%	0%
32	American Sport Fish	4	100%	0%
43	Boozer Farms	3	100%	0%
43	Louallen Farms	3	100%	0%
45	Rose Hill Farming Company, Inc.	2	100%	0%
45	Ellis Farms	2	100%	0%
45	Jhonston Cattle Company, LLC	2	100%	0%
45	Ivy Creek Poultry Farms, LLC	2	100%	0%
45	Blaxton, LLC	2	100%	0%
45	Mullek Farms	2	100%	0%
45	French Construction, Inc.	2	100%	0%
45	Old Stage Farms	2	100%	0%
45	D Bar Farms, LLC	2	100%	0%
45	Enviroment, Inc.	2	100%	0%
45	Clark Dairy, Inc.	2	100%	0%
45	Le Properties, LLC	2	100%	0%
45	Sunset Farms, Inc.	2	100%	0%
45	Snow S Bend Farm, Inc.	2	100%	0%
45	Lee Farms Partnership	2	100%	0%
60	Cogle Farm, LLC	1	100%	0%
60	Weston Farms Mater Shack	1	100%	0%
60	Grant Brothers	1	100%	0%
60	Bell Place Farms, LLC	1	100%	0%
60	Blaxton Comodities Services Integrated, LLC	1	100%	0%

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