More temporary work visas could help businesses this summer
File photo / Laurie Schreiber
Maine’s seasonal businesses have been stretched thin by workforce shortages.
An additional 35,000 H-2B temporary work visas will be available to support small businesses nationwide for the busy summer season.
The boost in travel allowances could help businesses fill seasonal job openings in Maine.
Maine businesses can begin applying for the visas on May 18.
A temporary rule making the visas available was finalized Monday by the U.S. departments of Homeland Security and Labor.
The allotment will supplement a previous supply of 33,000 H-2B visas for the second half of the current fiscal year, all of which have been claimed.
The visas will allow U.S. employers to employ additional workers now through Sept. 30.
Greg Dugal, director of government affairs for HospitalityMaine, credited Maine’s Congressional delegation in helping to secure the additional visas for the second half of this fiscal year, which includes the summer tourism season.
“The severe worker shortage that we have been experiencing in the hospitality industry will be somewhat mitigated by this much-needed announcement from the departments of Labor and Homeland Security,” Dugal said in a news release.
The supplemental allocation consists of 23,500 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 11,500 visas, which are exempt from the returning worker requirement, are reserved for nationals of Haiti, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.
In January, the Departments of Homeland Security and Labor announced the availability of 20,000 additional H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker visas for the first half of fiscal year 2022.
“Maine’s tourism industry is a significant part of our state’s economy, supporting the jobs of tens of thousands of Mainers,” U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King said in a joint statement.
Without the visas, many Maine hotels and restaurants would be unable to open or would have to curtail their operations, hurting local communities and Maine workers employed by these businesses, they noted.
By law, employers must first make an effort to hire U.S. workers to fill open positions. H-2B visas fill needs for U.S. small businesses when there are not enough able and willing American workers to fill the temporary, seasonal positions.
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