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Background
The federal government provides H-2B visas each year to help employers in seasonal and resort areas hire short-term help from outside the United States when they can't find enough employees domestically.
The government makes 66,000 H-2B visas available -- 33,000 for employees hired to work in the first half of the fiscal year (October through March) and 33,000 for the second half (April through September). Visas get snapped up by employers almost as soon as they are made available; the program can't accommodate the demand for visas.
To expand the pool of employees, Congress several years ago allowed thousands of former H-2B visa holders to return to their jobs in the United States without counting against the 66,000-visa cap. This exemption for returning workers expired in late 2007.
The NRA encourages Congress to make the returning-worker exemption permanent. Like many other businesses, restaurants depend upon temporary employees in peak seasons. But the federal government’s arbitrary cap of 66,000 H-2B visas falls far short of what the economy needs.
Questions?
Contact Tim Ehlert at (202) 331-5900 or tehlert@restaurant.org.
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