On Dec. 31, the Trump Administration announced the release of 35,000 supplemental H-2B visas.
Rosanna Maietta, president and CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, issued the following statement on the decision:
“AHLA applauds the Departments of Homeland Security and Labor for releasing thousands of additional H-2B visas. These visas will make it easier for small-business hoteliers to access the seasonal workers they need, particularly in the face of ongoing staffing shortages. While we welcome this decision, we urge Congress and the Administration to create a more predictable system based on the need for workers instead of the arbitrary, outdated H-2B visa caps in place today.”
The Association called the H-2B visa program “vital to helping independent hotels and resorts in remote vacation destinations fill seasonal roles,” but noted that the program is “arbitrarily” capped at 66,000 visas each year.