Maine Senators Want a Bump in Work Visas Due to Tight Market

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Photo: 560 WGAN Newsradio

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) Maine’s U.S. senators are working with a bipartisan group of colleagues to call for an increased number of work visas to help small businesses find seasonal workers.

Republican Susan Collins and independent Angus King are asking the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to bump the number of H-2B visas. Those are the visas for temporary non-agricultural workers.

Collins and King say the increase is necessary because of the tight labor market, which is making it difficult for businesses to fill seasonal job openings. They want the department to increase the 66,000 cap on the visas to more than 135,000.

The senators say the increase is especially important for states that depend on the tourism sector, such as Maine.

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