654.403—Conditional access to the intrastate or interstate clearance system.
(a) Filing requests for conditional access—
(1) “Noncriteria” employers.
Except as provided in paragraph (a)(2) of this section, an employer whose housing does not meet applicable standards may file with the local Job Service office serving the area in which its housing is located, a written request that its job orders be conditionally allowed into the intrastate or interstate clearance system, provided that the employer's request assures that its housing will be in full compliance with the requirements of the applicable housing standards at least 20 calendar days (giving the specific date) before the housing is to be occupied.
(2) “Criteria” employers.
If the request for conditional access described in paragraph (a)(1) of this section is from an employer filing a job order pursuant to an application for temporary alien agricultural labor certification for H-2A alien agricultural workers or H-2 alien workers under subpart B or subpart C, respectively, of part 655 of this chapter, the request shall be filed with the RA as an attachment to the application for temporary alien agricultural labor certification.
(3) Assurance.
The employer's request pursuant to paragraphs (a)(1) or (a)(2) of this section shall contain an assurance that the housing will be in full compliance with the applicable housing standards at least 20 calendar days (stating the specific date) before the housing is to be occupied.
(b) Processing requests—
(1) State agency processing.
Upon receipt of a written request for conditional access to the intrastate or interstate clearance system under paragraph (a)(1) of this section, the local Job Service office shall send the request to the State office, which, in turn, shall forward it to the Regional Administrator, Employment and Training Administration, (RA).
(2) Regional office processing and determination.
Upon receipt of a request for conditional access pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) or paragraph (b)(1) of this section, the RA shall review the matter and, as appropriate, shall either grant or deny the request.
(c) Authorization.
The authorization for conditional access to the intrastate or interstate clearance system shall be in writing, and shall state that although the housing does not comply with the applicable standards, the employer's job order may be placed into intrastate or interstate clearance until a specified date. The RA shall send the authorization to the employer and shall send copies to the appropriate State agency and local Job Service office. The employer shall submit and the local Job Service shall attach copies of the authorization to each of the employer's job orders which is placed into intrastate or interstate clearance.
(d) Notice of denial.
If the RA denies the request for conditional access to the intrastate or interstate clearance system, the RA shall provide written notice to the employer, the appropriate State agency, and the local Job Service office, stating the reasons for the denial.
(e) Inspection.
(1)
The local Job Service office serving the area containing the housing of any employer granted conditional access to the intrastate or interstate clearance system shall assure that the housing is inspected no later than the date by which the employer has promised to have its housing in compliance with the requirements of this subpart. An employer, however, may request an earlier preliminary inspection. If, on the date set forth in the authorization, the housing is not in full compliance with the applicable housing standards as assured in the request for conditional access, the local Job Service office shall afford the employer five calendar days to bring the housing into full compliance. After the five-calendar-day period, if the housing is not in full compliance with the applicable housing standards as assured in the request for conditional access, the local Job Service office immediately:
(iii)
Shall, if workers have been recruited against these orders, in cooperation with the employment service agencies in other States, make every reasonable attempt to locate and notify the appropriate crew leaders or workers, and to find alternative and comparable employment for the workers.