Alaska Senate Urges Visa Protections for Teachers, Pros

0:00It's April 21st. This is Anchorage News today, AI-powered stories from your city. I'm Cory with the story. Alaska Synod just moved forward, a resolution urging federal leaders to safeguard three vital visa programs that prop up the state's economy. We're talking J-1 visas for teachers, H-1B for skilled pros, and H-2B for seasonal gigs in tourism, health care, and seafood processing. Here this week, Senator Loki Tobin from Anchorage championed Senate Joint Resolution 28, stressing how these visas fill critical job gaps in a state with tough hiring challenges. But the Trump administration hiked H-1B fees from $5,000 to $100,000 last September, pricing out many school districts. Local educators are feeling the squeeze hard. Many districts employ 232 J-1 visa holders and 341 H-1B teachers in 2025. The House already passed a similar pushback in March, led by representative Elise Galvin

1:02asking for fee waivers on teacher visas. Business owners like Maryland, Usabelli of Black Diamond Resort echo the need, saying J-1 workers are lifesavers for seasonal spots where locals just can't fill the demand. On the federal side, Senator Lisa Murkowski introduced the bill to exempt teachers from those non-processing fees with Senator Dan Sullivan signing on. As co-sponsor, this resolution sailed through the Senate with 19 yes votes, one absence, putting Alaska squarely on the map for visa protections that keep jobs, flowing and school staffed.