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Local businesses warn committee of possible J‑1 and H‑2B visa scrutiny affecting seasonal workforce
Summary
A chamber representative told the committee that recent guidance requiring consulates to review visa applicants' social media has led to at least two revoked J‑1 visas among local partners and could reduce the seasonal workforce Warren County relies on.
During public comment at the April 21 meeting, Gina Mansur of the Lake Zurich Regional Chamber of Commerce and CBB told the occupancy-tax committee that recent consular guidance has led to visa scrutiny that may affect seasonal workers who support Warren County's hospitality sector.
Mansur said the State Department sent a cable asking consulates to review social media accounts of visa applicants and that one local partner reported two J‑1 visas were revoked. "We already had one of our partners locally who said that two of their J‑1s, their visas were pulled," Mansur said, adding that the county typically hosts between 900 and 1,200 seasonal exchange and H‑2B workers over summer and fall.
She explained the program differences: J‑1 exchange visitors typically are college students on cultural-exchange placements administered through the State Department and partner agencies, while H‑2B visas are seasonal work visas administered through immigration for nonimmigrant seasonal workers who perform jobs such as landscaping and kitchen work.
Mansur said the full scope of the issue was not yet known and that local partners were monitoring the situation. Committee members did not take formal action during public comment.
