Changes make H-2B visa program more challenging for hotels | By Elaine Yetzer Simon

The H-2B visa program was never a cure-all for the hospitality industry’s staffing woes, but recent changes have made it practically unusable for a large section of the industry. Additional modifications some members of Congress are pushing for could increase the program’s cost and complexity even more. To make the employment issue even more dire, there is expected to be a shortage of workers for the foreseeable future, even with the high rate of unemployment in the United States. “The program is constantly changing and constantly becoming more onerous and hard to follow,” said Paul Monte, general manager and CEO of Gurney’s Inn Resort, Spa and Conference Center in Montauk, New York. “I’m sure the intent is to legislate the program out of existence.