Ocean City preparing for possibility of fewer J1 visa workers

OCEAN CITY, Md. – With tourist season right around the corner, Ocean City is trying to prepare in case J1 visa workers can’t get there in time for seasonal positions.

Through this visa program, the resort town is able to hire about four thousand college-aged students from other countries for seasonal work. Officials say that’s about one third of Ocean City’s entire seasonal workforce. They expect the current coronavirus travel restrictions to be in place until about the beginning or middle of May. But in case those restrictions are extended, officials are working to offer public transportation between the resort town and lower parts of Worcester County to employ locals.

“If there are a shortage of J1’s perhaps we can bus some of the people from the south end of the county who need jobs, to the jobs that are in the north end of the county and maybe we can provide that transportation for free,” says Susan Jones, the executive director of the Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association.

Jones says they are still optimistic because many exchange students don’t arrive until June. However, they’re working on back up plans because no one is quite sure how long these travel restrictions may last.