Visa cap imperils seasonal labor base

Homeland security regulations could prevent some immigrant workers from holding many of Maine’s seasonal tourism jobs, a change that could result in staffing shortages in the state’s multibillion-dollar industry.

The Department of Homeland Security recently announced that, for the remainder of the fiscal year, it will not grant a type of temporary work visa most commonly used by the tourism industry to bring in workers. The agency told businesses it had processed the maximum number of such visas by early March.

The notice has officials in Maine’s $13.9 billion annual tourism industry scrambling to find labor just as they prepare their businesses for summer.

Laura Bradford, business manager at Fisherman’s Wharf Inn in Boothbay Harbor, said she received notice Friday that she cannot hire a group of Jamaican women who have worked for her the past two summers.

Bradford, who doesn’t think she can fill the jobs locally, said that means she must convince the federal government she beat the deadline for temporary labor or search for other programs to bring in foreign workers.

“We can’t get chambermaids, at any price, who will come and stay for the season,” Bradford said.

State tourism officials are asking Maine’s congressional delegation to support legislation that would raise the visa cap. If Congress doesn’t act quickly, the state’s summer tourist season could be a bust before it even begins, they said.

“You’re talking about a financial impact in the millions,” said Vaughn Stinson, executive director of the Maine Tourism Association, adding that if seasonal restaurants and hotels cannot rely on foreign workers, managers may have to turn away guests.

Although approximately 39,000 Mainers are looking for work, based on state Department of Labor employment statistics from January, industry officials said seasonal, low-paying jobs such as dishwashing and housekeeping generally do not appeal to them.

Businesses are required by law to advertise seasonal jobs in area newspapers before they search for foreign workers. Only employers who can prove they are unable to fill all the necessary positions at home may look abroad, Fisher said.

This year is the second time the cap on such visas has been reached since the program, which allows foreigners to work for a sponsoring employer on a temporary basis, began in 1990.

Businesses in Maine requested roughly 3,500 of the temporary visas last year, up from 1,800 two years before.

Bradford said if the Fisherman’s Wharf cannot get workers into the country this summer, management will try to fill the positions with Russians – typically allowed to work in the United States for shorter periods under another visa.

That would be unfortunate because the Wharf has sponsored the same six Jamaican women for the past two years, Bradford said. The women earn $8 an hour working as chambermaids, and use the money to pay for their children’s schooling.

“They want a better life for their children,” Bradford said. “They’re counting on coming here and earning money.”