The State Department announced on Oct. 20, 2026, that the Trump administration had revoked more than 300,000 U.S. visas, including more than 4,000 linked to birth tourism. The figure arrives as hotels report widespread staffing gaps, though the department has not broken revocations down by occupation.
The overall tally rose from more than 175,000 in August. Tommy Pigott, a department spokesman, said the administration had “zero tolerance for foreigners here on visas who break the law, commit fraud, or undermine our national security.”
Al Jazeera reported that more than 4,000 revocations were tied to the practice. The published figures do not identify how many affected hospitality workers.
Hotel vacancies predate the revocation announcement
The industry’s staffing problems were visible months before the latest tally. An American Hotel & Lodging Association survey in late February found more than half of hotels somewhat or severely understaffed. The survey covered 246 hoteliers; 65 percent cited labor costs as a financial pressure, while 42 percent cited workforce shortages. The association has estimated about 100,000 open jobs across the industry.
The department’s “300,000 Visas Revoked” figure covers several grounds, not a count of hotel employees. A department official gave these reported categories:
| Reported ground | Share or count |
|---|---|
| Assault and related crimes | 25 percent |
| Driving under the influence | 22 percent |
| Birth-tourism cases | More than 4,000 |
The percentages are shares of revocations; the birth-tourism figure is a count. The department has not released a full breakdown by occupation or nationality. The survey findings also predate the latest announcement, so they do not measure any staffing effect from the new revocations.
The supplemental H-2B allocation has expired
Hotels that depend on seasonal foreign workers had access to a temporary expansion this year. On Jan. 30, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Labor announced a rule allowing up to 64,716 supplemental H-2B visas beyond the congressionally set 66,000 cap.
Employers had to show that they would suffer “irreparable harm” without access to those workers. Of the supplemental visas, 46,226 went to returning workers who had held H-2B status in one of the previous three fiscal years. Another 18,490 were reserved for employers with late-season needs, for workers starting between May 1 and Sept. 30.
That temporary allocation expired on September 30, 2026. Employers cannot count on the same additional supply next year. The H-2B program allows temporary hiring for nonagricultural work; its 66,000 cap, divided into 33,000 workers per season, has not changed since the 1990s, said Jon Bortz, chairman and CEO of Pebblebrook Hotel Trust and chair of AHLA’s HotelPAC Advisory Council.
AHLA CEO Rosanna Maietta called this year’s supplemental release “critical to help hotels address staffing shortages and maintain the level of service guests expect.” The association has described the program as vital for hotels in remote destinations that need extra seasonal staff.
A proposed seasonal-worker designation would bypass the lottery
A proposal gaining support among some lawmakers would create a “certified seasonal employer” designation. It would exempt workers with five years of H-2B experience and a good standing record with the Department of Labor from the lottery, potentially giving them a path back to the same resort.
Scott Steilen, president and CEO of Sea Island Company in Georgia, said his properties seek about 180 H-2B workers, many from Jamaica, for peak demand between April and October. In each of the past two years, only 80 were approved. Steilen said the lottery can leave resorts short when the busy season begins.
“[A hotel's] labor is a big empty void,” Steilen said. “They have multiple backup plans, but every one of us goes into the year with real nervousness about how we're going to fill those positions”. He said opposition to expanding the program often rests on a “misperception” that it displaces U.S. workers or lets hotels pay less.
Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, cited a U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimate that Maine has 67 available workers for every 100 open jobs. She also said the state welcomes about ten times its population in visitors each year and backed temporary H-2B workers for seasonal hotels, inns and restaurants. Collins said she had urged the Labor and Homeland Security departments to release the maximum number allowed.
Hotel groups pressed lawmakers for a larger legal labor pool
More than 300 hotel owners, operators, general managers and suppliers went to Washington during the week of May 11, 2026, for AHLA’s Hotels on the Hill. Participants represented 46 states, in one of the event’s largest turnouts in its 20-year history, and called on Congress to address labor shortages and operating costs.
Maietta said the hotel industry supports more than nine million jobs and urged lawmakers to adopt travel-friendly policies. AHLA Chief Advocacy Officer Brett Horton singled out the American Franchise Act, a Certified Seasonal Employer provision and restored Brand USA funding as priorities.
AHLA gave its Spirit of Hospitality Award to Collins, Sen. Angus King of Maine, Rep. Don Davis of North Carolina, Rep. Kevin Hern of Oklahoma and Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland. The association identified Collins and Harris as leaders on workforce proposals and efforts to secure more H-2B visas.
The staffing debate also reaches beyond seasonal visas. Travel and tourism supports roughly 15 million U.S. jobs, while hotels directly employ about 8 million; immigrants hold roughly one-third of hotel positions, HVS estimates. More than 31% of accommodation workers are foreign-born, making the sector fourth among private industries by foreign-born workforce share.
Foreign-born workers made up 19.2% of the U.S. civilian labor force in 2024, compared with 18.6% in 2023. Miami has the highest foreign-born share of hotel staffing, at 65%. A 2024 survey found 71% of hotels with openings could not fill them despite active recruitment. After the Department of Homeland Security reversed an enforcement shield for hotels and restaurants in early 2025, hotels issued 36% more background checks from January through June than in the same period a year earlier.
The Asian American Hotel Owners Association, whose membership is largely of Indian origin, has backed an H-2C visa proposal for hard-to-fill service jobs. A study commissioned by the group found its members own 60% of U.S. hotels. “The hotel industry still grapples with a worker shortage,” said AAHOA President and CEO Laura Lee Blake. Separately, Indian nationals received about 71% of H-1B approvals in fiscal 2024, a measure that does not establish their share of the revocations.
Bortz said hotel labor needs had grown as the industry expanded and urged action before the Olympics come to Los Angeles in 2028. The lobbying push had taken place nearly a month before the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with hotel operators still watching how bookings developed as the tournament approached.
