{"data":{"id":"us/20-cfr-655.502","jurisdiction":"us","citation":"20 CFR 655.502","heading":"Definitions.","body":"For the purposes of subparts F and G of this part:\nAccepted for filing means that a properly completed attestation on Form ETA 9033, including accompanying documentation for each of the requirements in § 655.510 (d) through (f) of this part, or a properly completed attestation on Form ETA 9033-A, including accompanying documentation for the requirement in § 655.537 of this part in the case of an attestation under the Alaska exception, submitted by the employer or its designated agent or representative has been received and filed by the Employment and Training Administration of the Department of Labor (DOL). (Unacceptable attestations under the prevailing practice exception are described at § 655.510(g)(2) of this part. Unacceptable attestations under the Alaska exception are described at § 655.538(b) of this part.)\nAct and INA mean the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended, 8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.\nActivity means any activity relating to loading cargo; unloading cargo; operation of cargo-related equipment; or handling of mooring lines on the dock when a vessel is made fast or let go.\nAdministrative law judge means an official appointed pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 3105.\nAdministrator means the Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division, Employment Standards Administration, Department of Labor, or such authorized representatives as may be designated to perform any of the functions of the Administrator under subparts F and G of this part.\nAdministrator, Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC Administrator) means the primary official of the Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC Administrator), or the OFLC Administrator's designee.\nAttestation means documents submitted by an employer attesting to and providing accompanying documentation to show that, under the prevailing practice exception, the use of alien crewmembers for a particular activity of longshore work at a particular U.S. port is the prevailing practice, and is not during a strike or lockout nor intended to influence an election of a bargaining representative for workers; and that notice of the attestation has been provided to the bargaining representative, or, where there is none, to the longshore workers at the local port. Under the Alaska exception, such documents shall show that, before using alien crewmen to perform longshore work, the employer will make bona fide requests for dispatch of United States longshore workers who are qualified and available in sufficient numbers and that the employer will employ all such United States longshore workers in response to such a request for dispatch; that the use of alien crewmembers is not intended or designed to influence an election of a bargaining representative for workers in the State of Alaska; and that notice of the attestation has been provided to labor organizations recognized as exclusive bargaining representatives of United States longshore workers, contract stevedoring companies, and operators of private docks at which the employer will use longshore workers.\nAttesting employer means an employer who has filed an attestation.\nAttorney General means the chief official of the U.S. Department of Justice or the Attorney General's designee.\nAutomated vessel means a vessel equipped with an automated self-unloading conveyor belt or vacuum-actuated system which is utilized for loading or unloading cargo between the vessel and the dock.\nCertifying Officer (CO) means a Department of Labor official, or the CO's designee, who makes determinations about whether or not to grant applications for labor certification. The National Certifying Officer, which is the OFLC Administrator, makes such determinations in the national office of the OFLC.\nChief Administrative Law Judge means the chief official of the Office of the Administrative Law Judges of the Department of Labor or the Chief Administrative Law Judge's designee.\nContract stevedoring company means a stevedoring company which is licensed to do business in the State of Alaska and which meets the requirements of section 32 of the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act (33 U.S.C. 932).\nCrewmember means any nonimmigrant alien admitted to the United States to perform services under sec. 101(a)(15)(D)(i) of the Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(D)(i)).\nDate of filing means the date an attestation is accepted for filing by ETA.\nDepartment and DOL mean the United States Department of Labor.\nDepartment of Homeland Security (DHS) through the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) makes the determination under the Act on whether an employer of alien crewmembers may use such crewmembers for longshore work at a U.S. port.\nDivision means the Wage and Hour Division of the Employment Standards Administration, DOL.\nEmployer means a person, firm, corporation, or other association or organization, which suffers or permits, or proposes to suffer or permit, alien crewmembers to perform longshore work at a port within the U.S. For purposes of §§ 655.530 through 655.541, which govern the performance of longshore activities by alien crewmembers under the Alaska exception, “employer” includes any agent or representative designated by the employer.\nEmployment and Training Administration (ETA) means the agency within the Department of Labor (DOL) which includes the Office of Foreign Labor (OFLC).\nEmployment Standards Administration (ESA) means the agency within the Department of Labor (DOL) which includes the Wage and Hour Division.\nLockout means a labor dispute involving a work stoppage, wherein an employer withholds work from its employees in order to gain a concession from them.\nLongshore work means any activity (except safety and environmental protection work as described in sec. 258(b)(2) of the Act) relating to the loading or unloading of cargo, the operation of cargo related equipment (whether or not integral to the vessel), or the handling of mooring lines on the dock when the vessel is made fast or let go, in the United States or the coastal waters thereof.\nLongshore worker means a U.S. worker who performs longshore work.\nOffice 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.\nPort means a geographic area, either on a seacoast, lake, river or any other navigable body of water, which contains one or more publicly or privately owned terminals, piers, docks, or maritime facilities, which is commonly thought of as a port by other government maritime-related agencies, such as the Maritime Administration. U.S. ports include, but are not limited to, those listed in Appendix A to this subpart.\nQualified and available in sufficient numbers means the full complement of qualified longshore workers needed to perform the longshore activity, as determined by industry standards in the State of Alaska, including safety considerations.\nSecretary means the Secretary of Labor or the Secretary's designee.\nStrike means a labor dispute wherein employees engage in a concerted stoppage of work (including stoppage by reason of the expiration of a collective-bargaining agreement) or engage in any concerted slowdown or other concerted interruption of operations.\nUnanticipated emergency means an unexpected and unavoidable situation, such as one involving severe weather conditions, natural disaster, or mechanical breakdown, where cargo must be immediately loaded on, or unloaded from, a vessel.\nUnited States is defined at 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(38).\nUnited States (U.S.) worker means a worker who is a U.S. citizen, a U.S. national, a permanent resident alien, or any other worker legally permitted to work indefinitely in the United States.","path":["Title 20—Employees' Benefits","CHAPTER V—EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR","PART 655—TEMPORARY EMPLOYMENT OF FOREIGN WORKERS IN THE UNITED STATES","Subpart F—Attestations by Employers Using Alien Crewmembers for Longshore Activities in U.S. Ports"],"source_url":"https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2026-08-25/title-20.xml","current_through":"2026-08-25","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-08-27T02:24:45Z","sha256":"6ccf4430dd8d8bcf75e7ffa510e722546d768c0c8c2e67cc902ebabdc9898710","source_id":"us-cfr","stale":true,"prev":"us/20-cfr-655.501","next":"us/20-cfr-655.510"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}