On June 2, Bob Helland, GCSAA director of congressional and federal affairs, accompanied three golf course superintendents to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in Washington. The purpose of the meeting was to let DHS staff know how important the H-2B Visa program was to golf and urge them to take steps to provide greater access for all seasonal industries, including golf. Helland was joined by Virginia superintendents Scott Furlong, CGCS, Brent Graham, CGCS, and Christian Sain, all users of the H-2B program.

GCSAA has long urged federal decision-makers to take steps to increase the number of H-2B visas available each fiscal year. The amount is capped at 66,000, equally divided for each half of the year. Congress has provided the DHS with the authority to increase that amount over the past two years, but that has only resulted in an additional 15,000 visas each year. Furlong, Graham and Sain told DHS staff how this was insufficient to meet golf’s needs. They described how difficult it was each year to find enough workers for their facilities, despite paying wages that often exceeded the prevailing wage for their respective areas.

They also noted that the process for applying and receiving H-2B workers is uncertain at best, especially since the DHS recently resorted to a lottery to determine which companies would receive visas from the additional 15,000. Graham said the result of all this was that his facility would get its workers on July 2, despite the April 1 start date requested. Golf courses in Virginia are at a period of high demand, and this uncertainty deeply impacts operations.

Helland noted that Congress provided DHS with the ability to provide even more H-2B Visas for 2018. He urged staffers to work with stakeholders such as golf, as well as the Department of Labor and Congress, to come up with a better, long term solution that meets the needs of all seasonal industries. H-2B provides a reliable and legal workforce in a growing economy. GCSAA will continue to do whatever it can to ensure it meets golf's needs.