39,675 H-2A petitions submitted by employers classified under the Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting industry in California during 2024

Employers classified under the Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting industry based in California submitted 39,675 H-2A job orders during 2024, according to data provided by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services via the H-2A Employer Data Hub.

Of these, 39,232 were approved (98.9%), while 443 were denied (1.1%).

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.

The average approval rate for H-2A petitions across the United States in 2024 stood at 98.8%, slightly higher than the 98.4% recorded in 2023. Statewide, employers across all industries filed 39,960 job orders during the same period, with an approval rate of 98.9%.

While the Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting industry led the H-2A filings with 39,675, representing 99.3% of all submissions in California during 2024, the next largest contributor was the Other Services (except Public Administration) industry, which accounted for 25 petitions and represented less than 0.1% of the total. Among petitions from employers in the Other Services (except Public Administration) industry, 40% were approved and 60% were denied.

The California employers with the most petitions categorized under the Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting sector during 2024 included Fresh Harvest, Inc., which filed 7,493 petitions with an approval rate of 100%, Empire Farm Labor Contractor, LLC with 3,735 petitions and an approval rate of 100%, and Elkhorn Packing Company, LLC, which filed 3,537 petitions with an approval rate of 100%.

Compared to 2023, the Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting sector in the state saw a 13.9% decrease in the number of H-2A petitions filed 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.