Ft. Myers Business Daily coverage area records 34,319 H-2A employer petitions in 2024

In 2024, employers located within the Ft. Myers Business Daily publication area submitted a total of 34,319 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.

Of these petitions, 33,252 were approved, representing a 96.9% approval rate, while 1,067 were denied, accounting for 3.1%.

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%, slightly up from 98.4% in 2023.

The Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting industry led the H-2A filings in Ft. Myers Business Daily publication area during 2024, with 34,260 petitions (99.8% of all submissions), and an approval rate of 96.9%. Meanwhile, the Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation industry was the second largest contributor, filing 37 petitions (0.1% of the total), with an approval rate of 100%.

The Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting sector dominated H-2A filings in the Ft. Myers Business Daily publication area during 2024, submitting 34,260 petitions, which accounted for 99.8% of all filings, with an approval rate of 96.9%. The Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation sector was the second largest, filing 37 petitions (0.1% of the total) and achieving a 100% approval rate.

Among local employers, Farm Op Kuzzens H2A, LLC led with 5,097 petitions and a 99.8% approval rate, followed by Everglades Harvesting and Hauling, which filed 2,972 petitions and had a 100% approval rate during 2024.

The number of H-2A petitions in the Ft. Myers Business Daily publication area increased by 8.4% 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.