"I have heard from business owners in Maine who have developed good, steady working relationships with seasonal immigrant workers whom they have relied upon year after year. But now suddenly, those reliable workers who have been cleared by Immigration Services in the past are in danger of not being able to return for work this year, because the H2B visa cap has been reached so early in the year," said Senator Collins. "This legislation would allow return workers to apply for new H2B visas without counting toward the annual cap. At the same time, it maintains current rules that ensure American workers have the first opportunity to apply for these jobs."
The Hatch-Chambliss legislation that Senator Collins is supporting would provide that if any immigrant worker has been counted against the H2B visa cap within the past two years, then that worker would not be counted again against the current year's cap when they applied for a new visa. This legislation would only apply to visa applications for 2004, but would apply retroactively to applications filed since the beginning of the year.
"This legislation would provide very needed and immediate relief to Maine businesses that are desperate to fill positions this year. It would allow businesses to obtain visas for returning workers and also free more visas for new workers to come to the country," said Senator Collins. "For the sake of small businesses in Maine and across the country, I encourage my colleagues in the Senate to approve some form of visa relief as quickly as possible."
Senator Collins is also and original cosponsor of legislation introduced by Senator Edward Kennedy that would allow a one-time increase to the H2B visa cap this year by 44,000 visas.