In late July, the Department of Homeland Security said it would issue an extra 15,000 H-2B visas for the second half of 2017, in the hopes of alleviating labor-shortage issues. This comes on top of the 66,000 H-2Bs granted annually.
While the timing may not help the industry for this year, some interested in the program hope to see a repeat in 2018, only earlier to help staff for the pool season.
The H-2B visa program covers non-agricultural jobs and allows holders to remain in the U.S. for about nine months. To bring a foreign worker over with H-2B, employers must prove they can’t fill positions with American workers. Visa holders and their employers must start the application process from scratch every year, even if they’ve worked together before.
So far in Fiscal 2017, approximately 4% of H-2B visas have been issued to construction workers. Several pool and spa firms have applied to bring workers here through the program, including builders, service firms and subcontractors. Among those are John Tortorella, president of J. Tortorella Custom Gunite Pools in Southampton, N.Y. He has used the program for about 15 years, optimally hiring approximately 70 temporary foreign workers each season. These include masonry and concrete workers, along with service and maintenance help. They often hail from Jamaica, Central America and Poland.
The extra visas won’t help his company, coming so late in the year. But Tortorella hopes this year’s expansion signals similar things in the future and, perhaps, an easier process.
“The problem is … we’re playing Russian roulette — we don’t know if we’re going to get the same people back,” he said. “They need to increase it, because the demand is there. We can’t fill these jobs.”
