Maine could receive more seasonal workers for the coming tourism season.
In past years, Maine businesses have received around 5,500 workers under the H-2B visa program for temporary, non-agricultural workers.
At the very least, the measure should increase the number of seasonal workers available to Maine hospitality, retail and other employers — but by how much remains to be seen.
U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said Tuesday that he and a Senate colleague were able to secure a total of 64,716 additional H-2B visas, roughly doubling the standard yearly count of 66,000.
It doesn’t necessarily mean a given state would be able to double its own worker count. But any addition of workers is good news for Maine’s labor-strapped seasonal businesses, said the head of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce.
“The announcement of additional national allocations for H-2B visas is a recognition of the extremely challenging labor markets in Maine’s seasonal tourism economy,” Patrick Woodcock, president and CEO of the Maine State Chamber, said in a statement emailed to Mainebiz.
He cited the work of King, as well as U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District.
“We appreciate the request from Sens. Collins and King as well as Congresswoman Pingree for this allocation of workers and will continue to advocate for building Maine’s workforce through additional housing development, temporary visa programs and long-term immigration reforms,” Woodcock said.
Filling labor shortages
The visa news was announced jointly with U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, along with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Department of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer.
The senators requested the visas in a November 2025 bipartisan letter urging the release of the maximum allowable number to support seasonal businesses, in addition to the statutory annual cap of 66,000 visas.
Employers are required by law to make a concerted effort to hire American workers to fill open positions; when the local workforce is insufficient, the H-2B visa program is seen as a necessary tool to support local economies.
With Maine continuing to experience a shortage of seasonal and temporary employees, these nonimmigrant visas provide a lifeline for the economy and ensure small businesses can meet the demand for their products and services, King’s office said in a news release.
“Chronic labor shortages — faced by seasonal U.S. employers throughout the nation’s history — have been exacerbated by the post-pandemic evolution of the American workforce,” the senators wrote in the November letter. “As this need grows, so does the pressure on U.S. workers, whose employers’ workforce needs cannot be met with American workers alone.”