We now have Quarter 4 H1B visa FY 2023 data and Quarter 4 PERM visa FY 2023 data and Quarter 4 H2A visa FY 2023 data.
Employer Search tool is moved to it's own page: "H1B Visa Data Search Tool"

Illinois Foreign Labor Visa Stats (All Years)

Total Visas % of all Visas Average Wage Visa Type
328,359 91.53% $77,136 H-1B
25,222 7.03% $170,962 PERM
3,529 0.98% $97,739 E-3 Australian
1,637 0.46% $32,808 H-2A

As of May 2023, Illinois has seen a total of 358,747 visa workers across all visa types. The most common visa class in Illinois is the H-1B visa with 328,359 H-1B visas on record over all years accounting for 91.53% of Illinois's total visas. The second most prevalent visa is the PERM visa with 25,222 PERM visas on record over all years accounting for 7.03% of Illinois's total visas.

Top Occupations in Illinois (All Years)

Occupation # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education 57 $41,169 83.82%
Curators 56 $51,093 83.58%
Quality Control Systems Managers 55 $110,012 84.62%
Architecture Teachers, Postsecondary 54 $55,200 84.38%
Training and Development Managers 54 $71,599 84.38%
Legal Support Workers, All Other 53 $48,146 82.81%
Clinical Data Managers 53 $82,913 82.81%
Child, Family, and School Social Workers 52 $34,577 81.25%
Interpreters and Translators 52 $32,688 82.54%
Logistics Engineers 51 $61,937 83.61%
Illinois Employees Over Time
Illinois has been in the H1B Visa program since 2011 where 14,981 employees were hired. Illinois peaked in 2016 with 29,364 employees, and has since been on a decline with the most recent number of employees being 3,790 in 2025.

Top Countries with Workers in Illinois From PERM Program (All Years)

Country # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
India 9,745 $242,007 46.63%
China 1,311 $75,213 49.51%
Poland 521 $175,933 47.11%
South Korea 427 $55,341 43.09%
Canada 361 $90,633 37.37%
Philippines 356 $493,600 40.27%
Mexico 333 $65,272 43.42%
Brazil 188 $79,878 47.47%
Ukraine 174 $62,423 47.80%
Pakistan 164 $88,269 47.95%

Top Hiring Companies in Illinois (All Years)

Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Kiddie Junction Educational Institute 8 $27,540 88.89%
Korean News Of Chicago Inc 8 $31,608 88.89%
The Joong Ang Daily News Inc 8 $26,559 88.89%
Trinity Services Inc 8 $34,406 88.89%
The Maschhoffs Llc 8 $55,838 88.89%
Ucan 8 $50,081 88.89%
Jenner Block Llp 8 $93,259 88.89%
Kan Win 8 $36,863 88.89%
Rotary International 8 $72,194 88.89%
Intercultural Montessori Foreign Language Immersio 8 $38,193 88.89%

Top Industries in Illinois (All Years)

Industry # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Offices Of Optometrists 74 $73,656 88.10%
Sports And Recreation Instruction 74 $34,054 89.16%
Other Financial Vehicles 72 $73,186 87.80%
Full Service Restaurants 70 $72,715 86.42%
Metal Service Centers And Other Metal Merchant Wholesalers 69 $68,975 86.25%
Media Representatives 69 $76,445 86.25%
All Other Plastics Product Manufacturing 69 $76,192 87.34%
Couriers And Express Delivery Services 66 $86,594 83.54%
Electric Power Distribution 66 $84,103 85.71%
Power Driven Handtool Manufacturing 65 $79,683 86.67%

Illinois Wage Comparison to Other States (All Years)

The chart below compares The average wage in Illinois to that of the top 9 states with the highest overall average H1-B wage. The average wage in Illinois over all years is $77,136. The state with the highest average wage of H1-B workers for all states is CA with an average wage of $104,510.

State Avg Wage