More temporary work visas available to help fill seasonal jobs in Maine, US

An additional 20,000 H-2B temporary work visas are now available for the first half of the year, and the boost in travel allowances could help businesses fill seasonal job openings across the U.S. and in Maine.

The federal Department of Labor and the Department of Homeland Security issued a joint rule making available the additional visas, said U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Angus King, I-Maine.

“This announcement is welcome news for Maine’s hospitality industry and will help protect the jobs of Mainers who fill year-round positions,” Collins and King said in a joint statement. "These additional visas are particularly critical as Maine’s restaurants, hotels, inns, and other businesses are facing persistent workforce shortages, which can force employers to cut back parts of their operations and curtail hours.”

“The tourism industry really relies on H-2B visas,” said Kathryn Ference, director of workforce development at the Maine Tourism Association. “Hospitality businesses want to hire locally but there aren’t enough people available. Businesses are breathing a sigh of relief.”

The Maine Tourism Association did not have a number of businesses that would benefit from the expanded visa pool because they are awarded by a lottery, Ference said.

Annually, 66,000 H-2B visas are allocated nationally. For each six-month period, that means that 33,000 visas are available. By increasing the visas for the first half of the year by 20,000, that’s a 60% percent increase and will make a total of 53,000 visas available nationally for the first half of the year, Ference said.

The senators said they are continuing to urge DHS to make additional visas available for the second half of the year as quickly as possible to ensure that Maine businesses are prepared for the busy summer season.

Employers must first make a concerted effort to hire American workers to fill open positions. H-2B visas fill needs for American small businesses when there are not enough able and willing American workers to fill the temporary, seasonal positions.

The supplemental H-2B visa allocation consists of 13,500 visas available to returning workers who received an H-2B visa, or were otherwise granted H-2B status, during one of the last three fiscal years. The remaining 6,500 visas, which are exempt from the returning worker requirement, are reserved for nationals of Haiti, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

Businesses must first verify that there are no U.S. workers who are willing and able to perform the work, and must demonstrate a critical need for the extra help.

“It’s a long, expensive process. Businesses aren’t just applying casually for the visas. They have to prove to the government that they can’t find local people, period,” Ference said.