This week AH&LA’s governmental affairs department sent a letter to James Ziglar, commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), requesting action to reduce the backlog of unprocessed H-2B visa applications.

“Seasonal lodging properties from Maine to Michigan to Colorado have reported severe delays in the INS processing of their H-2B visa applications,” wrote Jack Connors, AH&LA executive vice president for public policy. “Some fear that the delays will prevent them from serving their guests this summer and will drive them out of business.”

“By its nature, a seasonal property has only a few months to generate income that must sustain a business for an entire year. Accordingly, a delay of weeks or months is felt more acutely by these businesses,” continued Connors. “AH&LA strongly urges you to devote the necessary resources to process these pending applications as quickly as possible.”

For additional information, contact John Gay, AH&LA vice president for governmental affairs, at (202) 289-3123 or [email protected].

——-