Consider things like "landscaper isn't able to get H-2B visa for summer jobs" (one of the examples). Well, now they have to raise prices and turn down jobs.

The H-2B isn't wide open. Its a 6 month maximum contract - seasonal and short term work.

https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/temporary...

Look at the "Who May Qualify for H-2B Classification?" section.

The reauth period:

> Generally, USCIS may grant H-2B classification for up to the period of time authorized on the temporary labor certification. H-2B classification may be extended for qualifying employment in increments of up to 1 year each. A new, valid temporary labor certification covering the requested time must accompany each extension request. The maximum period of stay in H-2B classification is 3 years.

As to some of the effects described in the paper:

> Why are the effects so uniformly positive despite widespread priors of a harm to natives? Our model and additional evidence suggest that it is because there are simply few substitutes for the labor provided by legally authorized low-skill workers. First, pushing our estimates (of either the employment or revenue response) through a standard model of the labor market used in the immigration literature, we find that U.S. workers do not substantially substitute for foreign workers on H-2B visas. Second, unlike in other low-skill industries like agriculture (e.g. Clemens et al. 2018; San 2022) or manufacturing (e.g. Lewis 2011) there appears to be little potential to simply “automate away” labor shortages. Indeed, we find that H-2B hires are associated with an increase in capital investment (elasticity +1.03), suggesting that capital is a complement, rather than a substitute for H-2B workers. Finally, a simple forensic analysis shows little sign that lottery losing firms turn to unauthorized labor, suggesting that the unauthorized are not a viable substitute for legally hired workers, either.

Note the increase in capital investment.

These companies are things like the restaurant in a tourist economy driven town that hires some dish washers for six months of the year. Or ski resorts that are closing because of lack of workers there for the winter season ( https://coloradosun.com/2021/12/31/labor-shortage-vail-resor... - https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2021/11/15/labor-shortage... - "Another is recruiting international employees as seasonal workers on visas. The suspension of international employee visas was lifted after the 2020–21 ski season, but the H-2B program hit its cap, Arapahoe Basin officials told the Summit County newspaper" -- https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/26/travel/ski-resort-labor-s... )

Normally these companies have been able to hire (2018) the number of people who are willing to work for six months - but as the H-2B visa program has hit its cap, it is uncertain if the company will be able to hire people several months out and they are forced to work short staffed or possibly close.

Surely you've also seen things like "Forestry service is hiring" or "National parks are hiring" - and again, these are positions that are often seasonal low skilled work. Doing forestry management is another spot where the H2B visa is used. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233601866_Forest_Ma... https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2021/6/thune-i...

From that later link (June 24, 2021):

> U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today introduced a bill to temporarily increase the availability of H-2B visas for the purpose of restoring American forests. The bill would establish an uncapped, but temporary, carve-out of the H-2B program to permit a surge in workers to address a multi-year backlog in forest management, including wildfire restoration, long-term timber supply, and carbon sinks.

> ... These seasonal jobs represent only 1 percent of the total forestry sector, supporting 1.1 million domestic, higher-skilled and higher-paying jobs in the forestry, wood, and paper industries. H-2B workers mostly plant trees following disturbances such as fires, hurricanes, and timber harvests. Tree planting jobs have proven difficult to fill using domestic labor because the jobs are seasonal and change locations frequently, often traveling from state to state.