Ballroom dancers say immigration clampdown hurting business
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ORANGE, Conn. — Ballroom dance studio owners say the tightening of federal immigration rules is making it harder for them to offer foxtrot and tango lessons.
Many owners say there aren’t enough qualified Americans applying for the jobs, requiring them to look overseas. It’s a process that can take months and thousands of dollars, with no guarantee a dancer’s visa application will be approved quickly or even at all.
Lawyers say they’ve seen greater backlogs for visa applications and an overall increase in evidence requests under the Trump administration. The American Immigration Lawyers Association says average case processing times surged by 46% between fiscal year 2016 and 2017.
The head of a think-tank that supports tighter immigration controls says studio owners shouldn’t blame immigration policy for their labour recruitment problems.
