Seasonal jobs go begging

Many are in vacation areas or isolated pockets of the USA with local labor markets too small or unsuited for the seasonal positions. Many of the jobs are specialized, or else tedious or back-breaking.

Thousands of foreign workers return each year for the $10 an hour and more they can earn in jobs such as those found in seasonal businesses. To hire them, employers must show they've run newspaper ads unsuccessfully seeking U.S. workers. They must also navigate a bureaucracy that runs from state and federal labor agencies through U.S. immigration offices and the State Department.

The winners qualify to seek a share of the 66,000 visas. By law, business owners can't apply more than 120 days before foreign hires would start. Since the federal fiscal year starts Oct. 1, that means landscaping and forestry firms and ski resorts, many of which need workers in late fall and winter, were eligible to get in line first.