20 C.F.R. § 655.200 General description of this subpart and definition of terms.
Title 20 - Employees' Benefits
(a) This subpart applies to applications for temporary alien agricultural labor certification filed before June 1, 1987, and to applications for temporary alien labor certification for logging employment. (b) An employer who desires to use foreign workers for temporary employment must file a temporary labor certification application including a job offer for U.S. workers with an appropriate State Workforce Agency. The employer should file an application a minimum of 80 days before the estimated date of need for the workers. If filed 80 days before need, sufficient time is allowed for the 60-day recruitment period required by the regulations and a determination by the OFLC Administrator as to the availability of U.S. workers 20 days before the date of need. Shortly after the application has been filed, the OFLC Administrator makes a determination as to whether or not the application has been filed in enough time to recruit U.S. workers and whether or not the job offer for U.S. workers offers wages and working conditions which will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of similarly employed U.S. workers, as prescribed in the regulations in this subpart. If the application does not meet the regulatory wage and working condition standards, the OFLC Administrator shall deny the temporary labor certification application and offer the employer an administrative-judicial review of the denial byan Administrative Law Judge. If the application is not timely, the OFLC Administrator has discretion, as set forth in these regulations, to either deny the application or permit the process to proceed reasonably with the employer recruiting U.S. workers upon such terms as will accomplish the purposes of the INA and the DHS regulations. Where the application is timely and meets the regulatory standards, the State Workforce Agency, the employer, and the Department of Labor recruit U.S. workers for 60 days. At the end of the 60 days, the OFLC Administrator grants the temporary labor certification if the OFLC Administrator finds that (1) the employer has not offered foreign workers higher wages or better working conditions (or less restrictions) than that offered to U.S. workers, and (2) U.S. workers are not available for the employer's job opportunities. If the temporary labor certification is denied, the employer may seek an administrative-judicial review of the denial by an Administrative Law Judgeas provided in these regulations. The Department of Labor thereafter advises the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of approvals and denials of temporary labor certifications. The DHS may accept or reject this advice. 8 CFR 214.2(h)(3). The DHS makes the final decision as to whether or not to grant visas to the foreign workers. 8 U.S.C. 1184(a). (c) Definitions for terms used in this subpart. Administrative Law Judge means an official who is authorized to conduct administrative hearings. Administrator, Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC Administrator) means the primary official of the Office of Foreign Labor Certification or the OFLC Administrator's designee. Adverse effect rate means the wage rate which the OFLC Administrator has determined must be offered and paid to foreign and U.S. workers for a particular occupation and/or area so that the wages of similarly employed U.S. workers will not be adversely affected. The OFLC Administrator may determine that the prevailing wage rate in the area and/or occupation is the adverse effect rate, if the use (or non-use) of aliens has not depressed the wages of similarly employed U.S. workers. The OFLC Administrator may determine that a wage rate higher than the prevailing wage rate is the adverse effect rate if the OFLC Administrator determines that the use of aliens has depressed the wages of similarly employed U.S. workers. Agent means a legal person, such as an association of employers, which (1) is authorized to act as an agent of the employer for temporary labor certification purposes, and (2) which is not itself an employer, or a joint employer, as defined in this section. Area of intended employment means the area within normal commuting distance of the place (address) of intended employment. If the place of intended employment is within a Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA), any place within the SMSA is deemed to be within normal commuting distance of the place of intended employment. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) makes the determination under the INA on whether or not to grant visa petitions to an alien seeking to perform temporary agricultural or logging work in the United States. Employer means a person, firm, corporation or other association or organization (1) which currently has a location within the United States to which U.S. workers may be referred for employment, and which proposes to employ a worker at a place within the United States and (2) which has an employer relationship with respect to employees under this subpart as indicated by the fact that it hires, pays, fires, supervises and otherwise controls the work of such employees. An association of employers shall be considered an employer if it has all of the indicia of an employer set forth in this definition. Such an association, however, shall be considered as a joint employer with the employer member if it shares with the employer member one or more of the definitional indicia. Employment and Training Administration (ETA) means the agency within the Department of Labor (DOL) which includes the Office of Foreign Labor (OFLC). Job opportunity means a job opening for temporary, full-time employment at a place in the United States to which U.S. workers can be referred. Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) means the organizational component within the ETA that provides national leadership and policy guidance and develops regulations and procedures to carry out the responsibilities of the Secretary of Labor under the INA concerning alien workers seeking admission to the United States in order to work under the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended. Secretary means the Secretary of Labor or the Secretary's designee. State Workforce Agency (SWA) means the State employment service agency. Temporary labor certification means the advice given by the Secretary of Labor to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), pursuant to the regulations of that agency at 8 CFR 214.2(h)(3)(i), that (1) there are not sufficient U.S. workers who are qualified and available to perform the work and (2) the employment of the alien will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of similarly employed U.S. workers. United States workers means any worker who, whether U.S. national, citizen or alien, is legally permitted to work permanently within the United States. [43 FR 10313, Mar. 10, 1978, as amended at 49 FR 18295, Apr. 30, 1984; 52 FR 20524, June 1, 1987; 71 FR 35519, 35521, June 21, 2006]
Title 20: Employees' Benefits
PART 655—TEMPORARY EMPLOYMENT OF ALIENS IN THE UNITED STATES
Subpart C—Labor Certification Process for Logging Employment and Non-H–2A Agricultural Employment
§ 655.200 General description of this subpart and definition of terms.
