Visa shortage puts SV Resort in
hiring pinch
By GREGORY FOLEY
Express Staff Writer
Faced with a shortage of
government visas for temporary foreign workers, Sun Valley Resort is
seeking to hire more Idahoans to fill seasonal jobs.
Matt Parke, Sun Valley Co. human
resources manager, said Monday that the company could have as many as
140 openings for employment this summer. The need arose after the
federal government stopped issuing in March a type of visa known as the
H-2B.
Jack Sibbach, spokesman for Sun
Valley Co., said the development will force changes in how the company
fills employment vacancies.
"It will, of course, limit the
number of new employees we can get internationally," he said. "It will
require us to up our recruiting efforts at colleges and locally."
The U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services office on March 9 announced that it would not issue
any more H-2B visas until October because the annual cap of 66,000 had
been reached for this fiscal year.
Chris Bentley, spokesman for U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services, said Monday that demand for H-2B
visas has been unusually high in 2004.
"This year is actually the first
year we’ve met the cap," Bentley said. "After March 9, we’re returning
all applications for H-2B visas."
The government issues H-2B visas
to allow nonprofessional, nonagricultural foreign workers to perform a
specific job in the United States. The visas—which are valid for up to
one year—are often used by companies seeking to legally hire foreign
workers to fill seasonal, tourism-related jobs.
H-2B visas can be renewed to allow
an employee to work up to three consecutive years. The foreign employees
work for wages set by the federal government, which typically run
somewhat lower than typical wages in resort towns such as Sun Valley and
Ketchum.
Parke said Sun Valley Co. had
intended to use the H-2B program to "sponsor" approximately 200 foreign
workers for the summer season.
After being notified that the cap
was reached, the company determined it could fill approximately 60
positions with existing H-2B employees who can be granted visa
extensions. The extensions will allow employees already in the United
States to stay in the country through the spring off-season and commence
seasonal summer work on June 5, Parke said.
The estimated 140 summer-job
vacancies—mostly food service and hotel staff positions—will be
advertised in Idaho and at various universities in the Northwest.
"This is putting us in a pretty
unique position," Parke said.
The federal cap on H-2B visas does
not affect issuance of J-1 visas, which are typically acquired through a
privately operated liaison and allow workers the freedom to change
employers.
Parke noted that Sun Valley Co.
typically employs approximately 100 foreign workers holding J-1 visas.
"This year, we expect to have a
few more because of the lack of H-2Bs," he said.
Parke said he is optimistic Sun
Valley Co. can fill the unexpected vacancies.
"We still feel like we’re
competitive in the area."
Bentley said the federal
government will accept new applications for H-2B visas on Oct.1, the
start of its 2004-2005 fiscal year.
In the meantime, Congress is
considering three separate bills to ease the visa shortage. None have
been signed into law.