(a) Purpose. The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), as amended by the Nursing Relief for Disadvantaged Areas Act of 1999, establishes the H-1C nonimmigrant visa program to provide qualified nursing professionals for narrowly defined health professional shortage areas. Subpart L of this part sets forth the procedure by which facilities seeking to use nonimmigrant registered nurses must submit attestations to the Department of Labor demonstrating their eligibility to participate as facilities, their wages and working conditions for nurses, their efforts to recruit and retain United States workers as registered nurses, the absence of a strike/lockout or layoff, notification of nurses, and the numbers of and worksites where H-1C nurses will be employed. Subpart M of this part sets forth complaint, investigation, and penalty provisions with respect to such attestations.

(b) Procedure. The INA establishes a procedure for facilities to follow in seeking admission to the United States for, or use of, nonimmigrant nurses under H-1C visas. The procedure is designed to reduce reliance on nonimmigrant nurses in the future, and calls for the facility to attest, and be able to demonstrate in the course of an investigation, that it is taking timely and significant steps to develop, recruit, and retain U.S. nurses. Subparts L and M of this part set forth the specific requirements of those procedures.

(c) Applicability. (1) Subparts L and M of this part apply to all facilities that seek the temporary admission or use of H-1C nonimmigrants as registered nurses.

(2) During the period that the provisions of Appendix 1603.D.4 of Annex 1603 of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) apply, subparts L and M of this part shall apply to the entry of a nonimmigrant who is a citizen of Mexico under the provisions of section D of Annex 1603 of NAFTA. Therefore, the references in this part to “H-1C nurse” apply to such nonimmigrants who are classified by USCIS as “TN.”

(a) Federal agencies' responsibilities. The Department of Labor (DOL), Department of Homeland Security, and Department of State are involved in the H-1C visa process. Within DOL, the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) and the Wage and Hour Division have responsibility for different aspects of the process.

(b) Facility's attestation responsibilities. Each facility seeking one or more H-1C nurse(s) must, as the first step, submit an attestation on Form ETA 9081, as described in § 655.1110 of this part, to the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Office of Foreign Labor Certification, Chicago National Processing Center, 536 South Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60605-1509. If the attestation satisfies the criteria stated in § 655.1130 and includes the supporting information required by § 655.1110 and by § 655.1114, ETA shall accept the attestation form for filing, and return the accepted attestation to the facility.

(c) H-1C petitions. Upon ETA's acceptance of the attestation, the facility may then file petitions with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for the admission of, change to, or extension of status of H-1C nurses. The facility must attach a copy of the accepted attestation (Form ETA 9081) to the petition or the request for adjustment or extension of status, filed with USCIS. At the same time that the facility files an H-1C petition with USCIS, it must also send a copy of the petition to the Employment and Training Administration, Administrator, Office of Foreign Labor Certification, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Room C-4312, Washington, DC 20210. The facility must also send to this same ETA address a copy of the USCIS petition approval notice within 5 days after it is received from USCIS.

(d) Visa issuance. USCIS makes determinations, in adjudicating an H-1C petition, whether the foreign worker possesses the required qualifications and credentials to be employed as an H-1C nurse. The Department of State is subsequently responsible for determining visa eligibility.

(e) Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals (BALCA) review of Attestations accepted and not accepted for filing. Any interested party may seek review by the BALCA of an Attestation accepted or not accepted for filing by ETA. However, such appeals are limited to ETA actions on the three Attestation matters on which ETA conducts a substantive review (i.e., the employer's eligibility as a facility; the facility's attestation to alternative timely and significant steps; and the facility's assertion that taking a second timely and significant step would not be reasonable).

(f) Complaints. Complaints concerning misrepresentation of material fact(s) in the Attestation or failure of the facility to carry out the terms of the Attestation may be filed with the Wage and Hour Division of DOL, according to the procedures set forth in subpart M of this part. The Wage and Hour Administrator shall investigate and, where appropriate, after an opportunity for a hearing, assess remedies and penalties. Subpart M of this part also provides that interested parties may obtain an administrative law judge hearing and may seek review of the administrative law judge's decision at the Department's Administrative Review Board.

For the purposes of subparts L and M of this part:

Accepted for filing means that the Attestation and any supporting documentation submitted by the facility have been received by the Employment and Training Administration of the Department of Labor and have been found to be complete and acceptable for purposes of Attestation requirements in §§ 655.1110 through 655.1118.

Administrative Law Judge means an official appointed under 5 U.S.C. 3105.

Administrator means the Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division, Employment Standards Administration, Department of Labor, and such authorized representatives as may be designated to perform any of the functions of the Administrator under subparts L and M of this part.

Administrator, Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) means the primary official of the Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC Administrator), or the OFLC Administrator's designee.

Aggrieved party means a person or entity whose operations or interests are adversely affected by the employer's alleged misrepresentation of material fact(s) or non-compliance with the Attestation and includes, but is not limited to:

(1) A worker whose job, wages, or working conditions are adversely affected by the facility's alleged misrepresentation of material fact(s) or non-compliance with the attestation;

(2) A bargaining representative for workers whose jobs, wages, or working conditions are adversely affected by the facility's alleged misrepresentation of material fact(s) or non-compliance with the attestation;

(3) A competitor adversely affected by the facility's alleged misrepresentation of material fact(s) or non-compliance with the attestation; and

(4) A government agency which has a program that is impacted by the facility's alleged misrepresentation of material fact(s) or non-compliance with the attestation.

Attorney General means the chief official of the U.S. Department of Justice or the Attorney General's designee.

Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals (BALCA) means a panel of one or more administrative law judges who serve on the permanent Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals established by 20 CFR part 656. BALCA consists of administrative law judges assigned to the Department of Labor and designated by the Chief Administrative Law Judge to be members of the Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals.

Certifying Officer means a Department of Labor official, or such official's designee, who makes determinations about whether or not H-1C attestations are acceptable for certification.

Chief 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.

Date of filing means the date an Attestation is “accepted for filing” by ETA.

Department and DOL mean the United States Department of Labor.

Division means the Wage and Hour Division of the Employment

Standards Administration, DOL.

Employed or employment means the employment relationship as determined under the common law, except that a facility which files a petition on behalf of an H-1C nonimmigrant is deemed to be the employer of that H-1C nonimmigrant without the necessity of the application of the common law test. Under the common law, the key determinant is the putative employer's right to control the means and manner in which the work is performed. Under the common law, “no shorthand formula or magic phrase * * * can be applied to find the answer * * *. [A]ll of the incidents of the relationship must be assessed and weighed with no one factor being decisive.” NLRB v. United Ins. Co. of America, 390 U.S. 254, 258 (1968). The determination should consider the following factors and any other relevant factors that would indicate the existence of an employment relationship:

(1) The firm has the right to control when, where, and how the worker performs the job;

(2) The work does not require a high level of skill or expertise;

(3) The firm rather than the worker furnishes the tools, materials, and equipment;

(4) The work is performed on the premises of the firm or the client;

(5) There is a continuing relationship between the worker and the firm;

(6) The firm has the right to assign additional projects to the worker;

(7) The firm sets the hours of work and the duration of the job;

(8) The worker is paid by the hour, week, month or an annual salary, rather than for the agreed cost of performing a particular job;

(9) The worker does not hire or pay assistants;

(10) The work performed by the worker is part of the regular business (including governmental, educational and nonprofit operations) of the firm;

(11) The firm is itself in business;

(12) The worker is not engaged in his or her own distinct occupation or business;

(13) The firm provides the worker with benefits such as insurance, leave, or workers' compensation;

(14) The worker is considered an employee of the firm for tax purposes (i.e., the entity withholds federal, state, and Social Security taxes);

(15) The firm can discharge the worker; and

(16) The worker and the firm believe that they are creating an employer-employee relationship.

Employment and Training Administration (ETA) means the agency within the Department of Labor (DOL) which includes the Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC).

Facility means a “subsection (d) hospital” (as defined in section 1886(d)(1)(B) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395ww(d)(1)(B)) that meets the following requirements:

(1) As of March 31, 1997, the hospital was located in a health professional shortage area (as defined in section 332 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 245e)); and

(2) Based on its settled cost report filed under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.) for its cost reporting period beginning during fiscal year 1994—

(i) The hospital has not less than 190 licensed acute care beds;

(ii) The number of the hospital's inpatient days for such period which were made up of patients who (for such days) were entitled to benefits under part A of such title is not less than 35 percent of the total number of such hospital's acute care inpatient days for such period; and

(iii) The number of the hospital's inpatient days for such period which were made up of patients who (for such days) were eligible for medical assistance under a State plan approved under Title XIX of the Social Security Act, is not less than 28 percent of the total number of such hospital's acute care inpatient days for such period.

(3) The requirements of paragraph (2) of this definition shall not apply to a facility in Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or the Virgin Islands.

Full-time employment means work where the nurse is regularly scheduled to work 40 hours or more per week, unless the facility documents that it is common practice for the occupation at the facility or for the occupation in the geographic area for full-time nurses to work fewer hours per week.

Geographic area means the area within normal commuting distance of the place (address) of the intended worksite. If the geographic area does not include a sufficient number of facilities to make a prevailing wage determination, the term “geographic area” shall be expanded with respect to the attesting facility to include a sufficient number of facilities to permit a prevailing wage determination to be made. If the place of the intended worksite is within a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) or Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area (PMSA), any place within the MSA or PMSA will be deemed to be within normal commuting distance of the place of intended employment.

H-1C nurse means any nonimmigrant alien admitted to the United States to perform services as a nurse under section 101(a)(15)(H)(i)(c) of the Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(H)(i)(c)).

INA means the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended, 8

U.S.C. 1101 et seq.

Lockout means a labor dispute involving a work stoppage in which an employer withholds work from its employees in order to gain a concession from them.

Nurse means a person who is or will be authorized by a State Board of Nursing to engage in registered nursing practice in a State or U.S. territory or possession at a facility which provides health care services. A staff nurse means a nurse who provides nursing care directly to patients. In order to qualify under this definition of “nurse” the alien must:

(1) Have obtained a full and unrestricted license to practice nursing in the country where the alien obtained nursing education, or have received nursing education in the United States;

(2) Have passed the examination given by the Commission on Graduates for Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS), or have obtained a full and unrestricted (permanent) license to practice as a registered nurse in the state of intended employment, or have obtained a full and unrestricted (permanent) license in any state or territory of the United States and received temporary authorization to practice as a registered nurse in the state of intended employment; and,

(3) Be fully qualified and eligible under the laws (including such temporary or interim licensing requirements which authorize the nurse to be employed) governing the place of intended employment to practice as a registered nurse immediately upon admission to the United States, and be authorized under such laws to be employed by the employer. For purposes of this paragraph, the temporary or interim licensing may be obtained immediately after the alien enters the United States and registers to take the first available examination for permanent licensure.

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 foreign workers seeking admission to the United States.

Prevailing wage means the weighted average wage paid to similarly employed registered nurses within the geographic area.

Secretary means the Secretary of Labor or the Secretary's designee.

Similarly employed means employed by the same type of facility (acute care or long-term care) and working under like conditions, such as the same shift, on the same days of the week, and in the same specialty area.

State means one of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam.

Strike means a labor dispute in which 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.

United States (U.S.) means the continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the territories of Guam, the Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) means the bureau within the Department of Homeland Security that makes determinations under the INA on whether to approve petitions seeking classification and/or admission of nonimmigrant nurses under the H-1C program.

United States (U.S.) nurse means any nurse who: is a U.S. citizen; is a U.S. national; is lawfully admitted for permanent residence; is admitted as a refugee under 8 U.S.C. 1157; or is granted asylum under 8 U.S.C. 1158.

Worksite means the location where the nurse is involved in the practice of nursing.

(a) Who may file Attestations? (1) Any hospital which meets the definition of facility in §§ 655.1102 and 655.1111 may file an Attestation.

(2) ETA shall determine the hospital's eligibility as a facility through a review of this attestation element on the first Attestation filed by the hospital. ETA's determination on this point is subject to a hearing before the BALCA upon the request of any interested party. The BALCA proceeding shall be limited to the point.

(3) Upon the hospital's filing of a second or subsequent Attestation, its eligibility as a facility shall be controlled by the determination made on this point in the ETA review (and BALCA proceeding, if any) of the hospital's first Attestation.

(b) Where and when should attestations be submitted? (1) Attestations shall be submitted, by U.S. mail or private carrier, to ETA at the following address: U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Office of Foreign Labor Certification, Chicago National Processing Center, 536 South Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60605-1509.

(2) Attestations shall be reviewed and accepted for filing or rejected by ETA within 30 calendar days of the date they are received by ETA. Therefore, it is recommended that attestations be submitted to ETA at least 35 calendar days prior to the planned date for filing an H-1C visa petition with USCIS.

(c) What shall be submitted? (1) Form ETA 9081 and required supporting documentation, as described in paragraphs (c)(1)(i) through (iv) of this section.

(i) A completed and dated original Form ETA 9081, containing the required attestation elements and the original signature of the chief executive officer of the facility, shall be submitted, along with one copy of the completed, signed, and dated Form ETA 9081. Copies of the form and instructions are available at the address listed in paragraph (b) of this section.

(ii) If the Attestation is the first filed by the hospital, it shall be accompanied by copies of pages from the hospital's Form HCFA 2552 filed with the Department of Health and Human Services (pursuant to title XVIII of the Social Security Act) for its 1994 cost reporting period, showing the number of its acute care beds and the percentages of Medicaid and Medicare reimbursed acute care inpatient days (i.e., Form HCFA-2552-92, Worksheet S-3, Part I; Worksheet S, Parts I and II).

(iii) If the facility attests that it will take one or more timely and significant steps other than the steps identified on Form ETA 9081, then the facility must submit (in duplicate) an explanation of the proposed step(s) and an explanation of how the proposed step(s) is/are of comparable significance to those set forth on the Form and in § 655.1114. (See § 655.1114(b)(2)(v).)

(iv) If the facility attests that taking more than one timely and significant step is unreasonable, then the facility must submit (in duplicate) an explanation of this attestation. (See § 655.1114(c).)

(2) Filing fee of $250 per Attestation. Payment must be in the form of a check or money order, payable to the “U.S. Department of Labor.” Remittances must be drawn on a bank or other financial institution located in the U.S. and be payable in U.S. currency.

(3) Copies of H-1C petitions and USCIS approval notices. After ETA has approved the attestation used by the facility to support any H-1C petition, the facility must send copies of each H-1C petition and USCIS approval notice on such petition to Employment and Training Administration, Administrator, Office of Foreign Labor Certification, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Room C-4312, Washington, DC 20210.

(d) Attestation elements. The attestation elements referenced in paragraph (c)(1) of this section are mandated by section 212(m)(2)(A) of the INA (8 U.S.C. 1182(m)(2)(A)). Section 212(m)(2)(A) requires a prospective employer of H-1C nurses to attest to the following:

(1) That it qualifies as a facility (See § 655.1111);

(2) That employment of H-1C nurses will not adversely affect the wages or working conditions of similarly employed nurses (See § 655.1112);

(3) That the facility will pay the H-1C nurse the facility wage rate (See § 655.1113);

(4) That the facility has taken, and is taking, timely and significant steps to recruit and retain U.S. nurses (See § 655.1114);

(5) That there is not a strike or lockout at the facility, that the employment of H-1C nurses is not intended or designed to influence an election for a bargaining representative for RNs at the facility, and that the facility did not lay off and will not lay off a registered nurse employed by the facility 90 days before and after the date of filing a visa petition (See § 655.1115);

(6) That the facility will notify its workers and give a copy of the Attestation to every nurse employed at the facility (See § 655.1116);

(7) That no more than 33 percent of nurses employed by the facility will be H-1C nonimmigrants (See § 655.1117); and

(8) That the facility will not authorize H-1C nonimmigrants to work at a worksite not under its control, and will not transfer an H-1C nonimmigrant from one worksite to another (See § 655.1118).

(a) The first attestation element requires that the employer be a “facility” for purposes of the H-1C program, as defined in INA Section 212(m)(6), 8 U.S.C. 1182 (2)(m)(6).

(b) A qualifying facility under that section is a “subpart (d) hospital,” as defined in Section 1886(d)(1)(B) of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. 1395ww(d)(1)(B), which:

(1) Was located in a health professional shortage area (HPSA), as determined by the Department of Health and Human Services, on March 31, 1997. A list of HPSAs, as of March 31, 1997, was published in the Federal Register on May 30, 1997 (62 FR 29395);

(2) Had at least 190 acute care beds, as determined by its settled cost report, filed under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.), for its fiscal year 1994 cost reporting period (i.e., Form HCFA-2552-92, Worksheet S-3, Part I, column 1, line 8);

(3) Had at least 35% of its acute care inpatient days reimbursed by Medicare, as determined by its settled cost report, filed under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, for its fiscal year 1994 cost reporting period (i.e., Form HCFA-2552-92, Worksheet S-3, Part I, column 4, line 8 as a percentage of column 6, line 8); and

(4) Had at least 28% of its acute care inpatient days reimbursed by Medicaid, as determined by its settled cost report, filed under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, for its fiscal year 1994 cost reporting period (i.e., Form HCFA-2552-92, Worksheet S-3, Part I, column 5, line 8 as a percentage of column 6, line 8).

(c) The Federal Register notice containing the controlling list of HPSAs (62 FR 29395), can be found in federal depository libraries and on the Government Printing Office Internet website at http://www.access.gpo.gov.

(d) To make a determination about information in the settled cost report, the employer shall examine its own Worksheet S-3, Part I, Hospital and Hospital Health Care Complex Statistical Data, in the Hospital and Hospital Health Care Complex Cost Report, Form HCFA 2552, filed for the fiscal year 1994 cost reporting period.

(e) The facility must maintain a copy of the portions of Worksheet S-3, Part I and Worksheet S, Parts I and II of HCFA Form 2552 which substantiate the attestation of eligibility as a “facility.” One set of copies of this document must be kept in the facility's public access file. The full Form 2552 for fiscal year 1994 must be made available to the Department upon request.

(a) The second attestation element requires that the facility attest that “the employment of the alien will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of registered nurses similarly employed.”

(b) For purposes of this program, “employment” is full-time employment as defined in § 655.1102; part-time employment of H-1C nurses is not authorized.

(c) Wages. To meet the requirement of no adverse effect on wages, the facility must attest that it will pay each nurse employed by the facility at least the prevailing wage for the occupation in the geographic area. The facility must pay the higher of the wage required under this paragraph or the wage required under § 655.1113 (i.e., the third attestation element: facility wage).

(1) Collectively bargained wage rates. Where wage rates for nurses at a facility are the result of arms-length collective bargaining, those rates shall be considered “prevailing” for that facility for the purposes of this subpart.

(2) Determination of prevailing wage for H-1C purposes. In the absence of collectively bargained wage rates, the National Processing Center (NPC) having jurisdiction as determined by OFLC shall determine the prevailing wage for similarly employed nurses in the geographic area in accordance with administrative guidelines issued by ETA for prevailing wage determination requests submitted on or after the effective date of these regulations.

(i) Prior to the effective date of these regulations, the SWA having jurisdiction over the area of intended employment shall continue to receive and process prevailing wage determination requests in accordance with the regulatory provisions and Department guidance in effect prior to January 1, 2009. On or after the effective date of these regulations, the NPC shall receive and process prevailing wage determination requests in accordance with these regulations and with Department guidance. A facility seeking to determine the prevailing wage must request a prevailing wage determination from the NPC having jurisdiction for providing the prevailing wage over the proposed area of intended employment not more than 90 days prior to the date the attestation is submitted to the Department. The NPC must enter its wage determination on the form it uses and return the form with its endorsement to the employer. Once a facility obtains a prevailing wage determination from the NPC and files an attestation supported by that prevailing wage determination, the facility shall be deemed to have accepted the prevailing wage determination as accurate and appropriate (as to both the occupational classification and the wage rate) and thereafter shall not contest the legitimacy of that prevailing wage determination in an investigation or enforcement action pursuant to subpart M of this part.

(ii) A facility may challenge the prevailing wage determination with the NPC having provided such determination according to administrative guidelines issued by ETA, but must obtain a final ruling prior to filing an attestation.

(3) Total compensation package. The prevailing wage under this paragraph relates to wages only. Employers are cautioned that each item in the total compensation package for U.S. nurses, H-1C, and other nurses employed by the facility must be the same within a given facility, including such items as housing assistance and fringe benefits.

(4) Documentation of pay and total compensation. The facility must maintain in its public access file a copy of the prevailing wage, which shall be either the collective bargaining agreement or the determination that was obtained from the NPC. The facility must maintain payroll records, as specified in § 655.1113, and make such records available to the Administrator in the event of an enforcement action pursuant to subpart M.

(d) Working conditions. To meet the requirement of no adverse effect on working conditions, the facility must attest that it will afford equal treatment to U.S. and H-1C nurses with the same seniority, with respect to such working conditions as the number and scheduling of hours worked (including shifts, straight days, weekends); vacations; wards and clinical rotations; and overall staffing-patient patterns. In the event of an enforcement action pursuant to subpart M, the facility must provide evidence substantiating compliance with this attestation.

(a) The third attestation element requires that the facility employing or seeking to employ the alien must attest that “the alien employed by the facility will be paid the wage rate for registered nurses similarly employed by the facility.”

(b) The facility must pay the higher of the wage required in this section (i.e. facility wage), or the wage required in § 655.1112 (i.e., prevailing wage).

(c) Wage obligations for H-1C nurses in nonproductive status—(1) Circumstances where wages must be paid. If the H-1C nurse is not performing work and is in a nonproductive status due to a decision by the facility (e.g., because of lack of assigned work), because the nurse has not yet received a license to work as a registered nurse, or any other reason except as specified in paragraph (c)(2) of this section, the facility is required to pay the salaried H-1C nurse the full amount of the weekly salary, or to pay the hourly-wage H-1C nurse for a full-time week (40 hours or such other number of hours as the facility can demonstrate to be full-time employment) at the applicable wage rate.

(2) Circumstances where wages need not be paid. If an H-1C nurse experiences a period of nonproductive status due to conditions unrelated to employment which take the nurse away from his/her duties at his/her voluntary request and convenience (e.g., touring the U.S., caring for ill relative) or render the nonimmigrant unable to work (e.g., maternity leave, automobile accident which temporarily incapacitates the nonimmigrant), then the facility is not obligated to pay the required wage rate during that period, provided that such period is not subject to payment under the facility's benefit plan. Payment need not be made if there has been a bona fide termination of the employment relationship, as demonstrated by notification to USCIS that the employment relationship has been terminated and the petition should be canceled.

(d) Documentation. The facility must maintain documentation substantiating compliance with this attestation element. The public access file shall contain the facility pay schedule for nurses or a description of the factors taken into consideration by the facility in making compensation decisions for nurses, if either of these documents exists. Categories of nursing positions not covered by the public access file documentation shall not be covered by the Attestation, and, therefore, such positions shall not be filled or held by H-1C nurses. The facility must maintain the payroll records, as required under the Fair Labor Standards Act at 29 CFR part 516, and make such records available to the Administrator in the event of an enforcement action pursuant to subpart M of this part.

(a) The fourth attestation element requires that the facility attest that it “has taken and is taking timely and significant steps designed to recruit and retain sufficient registered nurses who are United States citizens or immigrants who are authorized to perform nursing services, in order to remove as quickly as reasonably possible the dependence of the facility on nonimmigrant registered nurses.” The facility must take at least two such steps, unless it demonstrates that taking a second step is not reasonable. The steps described in this section shall not be considered to be an exclusive list of the significant steps that may be taken to meet the conditions of this section. Nothing in this subpart or subpart M of this part shall require a facility to take more than one step, if the facility can demonstrate that taking a second step is not reasonable. A facility choosing to take timely and significant steps other than those specifically described in this section must submit with its Attestation a description of the step(s) it is proposing to take and an explanation of how the proposed step(s) are of comparable timeliness and significance to those described in this section (See § 655.1110(c)(1)(iii)). A facility claiming that a second step is unreasonable must submit an explanation of why such second step would be unreasonable (See § 655.1110(c)(1)(iv)).

(b) Descriptions of steps. Each of the actions described in this section shall be considered a significant step reasonably designed to recruit and retain U.S. nurses. A facility choosing any of these steps shall designate such step on Form ETA 9081, thereby attesting that its program(s) meets the regulatory requirements set forth for such step. Section 212(m)(2)(E)(ii) of the INA provides that a violation shall be found if a facility fails to meet a condition attested to. Thus, a facility shall be held responsible for all timely and significant steps to which it attests.

(1) Statutory steps—(i) Operating a training program for registered nurses at the facility or financing (or providing participation in) a training program for registered nurses elsewhere. Training programs may include either courses leading to a higher degree (i.e., beyond an associate or a baccalaureate degree), or continuing education courses. If the program includes courses leading to a higher degree, they must be courses which are part of a program accepted for degree credit by a college or university and accredited by a State Board of Nursing or a State Board of Higher Education (or its equivalent), as appropriate. If the program includes continuing education courses, they must be courses which meet criteria established to qualify the nurses taking the courses to earn continuing education units accepted by a State Board of Nursing (or its equivalent). In either type of program, financing by the facility (either directly or arranged through a third party) shall cover the total costs of such training. The number of U.S. nurses for whom such training actually is provided shall be no less than half of the number of nurses who left the facility during the 12-month period prior to submission of the Attestation. U.S. nurses to whom such training was offered, but who rejected such training, may be counted towards those provided training.

(ii) Providing career development programs and other methods of facilitating health care workers to become registered nurses. This may include programs leading directly to a degree in nursing, or career ladder/career path programs which could ultimately lead to a degree in nursing. Any such degree program shall be, at a minimum, through an accredited community college (leading to an associate's degree), 4-year college (a bachelor's degree), or diploma school, and the course of study must be one accredited by a State Board of Nursing (or its equivalent). The facility (either directly or arranged through a third party) must cover the total costs of such programs. U.S. workers participating in such programs must be working or have worked in health care occupations or facilities. The number of U.S. workers for whom such training is provided must be equal to no less than half the average number of vacancies for nurses during the 12-month period prior to the submission of the Attestation. U.S. nurses to whom such training was offered, but who rejected such training, may be counted towards those provided training.

(iii) Paying registered nurses wages at a rate higher than currently being paid to registered nurses similarly employed in the geographic area. The facility's entire schedule of wages for nurses shall be at least 5 percent higher than the prevailing wage as determined by the NPC, and such differentials shall be maintained throughout the period of the Attestation's effectiveness.

(iv) Providing reasonable opportunities for meaningful salary advancement by registered nurses. This may include salary advancement based on factors such as merit, education, and specialty, and/or salary advancement based on length of service, with other bases for wage differentials remaining constant.

(A) Merit, education, and specialty. Salary advancement may be based on factors such as merit, education, and specialty, or the facility may provide opportunities for professional development of its nurses which lead to salary advancement (e.g., participation in continuing education or in-house educational instruction; service on special committees, task forces, or projects considered of a professional development nature; participation in professional organizations; and writing for professional publications). Such opportunities must be available to all the facility's nurses.

(B) Length of service. Salary advancement may be based on length of service using clinical ladders which provide, annually, salary increases of 3 percent or more for a period of no less than 10 years, over and above the costs of living and merit, education, and specialty increases and differentials.

(2) Other possible steps. The Act indicates that the four steps described in the statute (and set out in paragraph (b)(1) of this section) are not an exclusive list of timely and significant steps which might qualify. The actions described in paragraphs (b)(2)(i) through (iv) of this section, are also deemed to be qualified; in paragraph (b)(2)(v) of this section, the facility is afforded the opportunity to identify a timely and significant step of its own devising.

(i) Monetary incentives. The facility provides monetary incentives to nurses, through bonuses and merit pay plans not included in the base compensation package, for additional education, and for efforts by the nurses leading to increased recruitment and retention of U.S. nurses. Such monetary incentives may be based on actions by nurses such as: Instituting innovations to achieve better patient care, increased productivity, reduced waste, and/or improved workplace safety; obtaining additional certification in a nursing specialty; accruing unused sick leave; recruiting other U.S. nurses; staying with the facility for a given number of years; taking less desirable assignments (other than shift differential); participating in professional organizations; serving on task forces and on special committees; or contributing to professional publications.

(ii) Special perquisites. The facility provides nurses with special perquisites for dependent care or housing assistance of a nature and/or extent that constitute a “significant” factor in inducing employment and retention of U.S. nurses.

(iii) Work schedule options. The facility provides nurses with non-mandatory work schedule options for part-time work, job-sharing, compressed work week or non-rotating shifts (provided, however, that H-1C nurses are employed only in full-time work) of a nature and/or extent that constitute a “significant” factor in inducing employment and retention of U.S. nurses.

(iv) Other training options. The facility provides training opportunities to U.S. workers not currently in health care occupations to become registered nurses by means of financial assistance (e.g., scholarship, loan or pay-back programs) to such persons.

(v) Alternative but significant steps. Facilities are encouraged to be innovative in devising timely and significant steps other than those described in paragraphs (b)(1) and (b)(2)(i) through (iv) of this section. To qualify, an alternative step must be of a timeliness and significance comparable to those in this section. A facility may designate on Form ETA 9081 that it has taken and is taking such alternate step(s), thereby attesting that the step(s) meet the statutory test of timeliness and significance comparable to those described in paragraphs (b)(1) and (b)(2)(i) through (iv) in promoting the development, recruitment, and retention of U.S. nurses. If such a designation is made on Form ETA 9081, the submission of the Attestation to ETA must include an explanation and appropriate documentation of the alternate step(s), and of the manner in which they satisfy the statutory test in comparison to the steps described in paragraphs (b)(1) and (b)(2)(i) through (iv). ETA will review the explanation and documentation and determine whether the alternate step(s) qualify under this subsection. The ETA determination is subject to review by the BALCA, upon the request of an interested party; such review shall be limited to this matter.

(c) Unreasonableness of second step. Nothing in this subpart or subpart M of this part requires a facility to take more than one step, if the facility can demonstrate that taking a second step is not reasonable. However, a facility shall make every effort to take at least two steps. The taking of a second step may be considered unreasonable if it would result in the facility's financial inability to continue providing the same quality and quantity of health care or if the provision of nursing services would otherwise be jeopardized by the taking of such a step.

(1) A facility may designate on Form ETA 9081 that the taking of a second step is not reasonable. If such a designation is made on Form ETA 9081, the submission of the Attestation to ETA shall include an explanation and appropriate documentation with respect to each of the steps described in paragraph (b) of this section (other than the step designated as being taken by the facility), showing why it would be unreasonable for the facility to take each such step and why it would be unreasonable for the facility to take any other step designed to recruit, develop and retain sufficient U.S. nurses to meet its staffing needs.

(2) ETA will review the explanation and documentation, and will determine whether the taking of a second step would not be reasonable. The ETA determination is subject to review by the BALCA, upon the request of an interested party; such review shall be limited to this matter.

(d) Performance-based alternative to criteria for specific steps. Instead of complying with the specific criteria for one or more of the steps in the second and/or succeeding years of participation in the H-1C program, a facility may include in its prior year's Attestation, in addition to the actions taken under specifically attested steps, that it will reduce the number of H-1C nurses it utilizes within one year from the date of the Attestation by at least 10 percent, without reducing the quality or quantity of services provided. If this goal is achieved, the facility shall so indicate on its subsequent year's Attestation. Further, the facility need not attest to any “timely and significant step” on that subsequent attestation, if it again indicates that it shall again reduce the number of H-1C nurses it utilizes within one year from the date of the Attestation by at least 10 percent. This performance-based alternative is designed to permit a facility to achieve the objectives of the Act, without subjecting the facility to detailed requirements and criteria as to the specific means of achieving that objective.

(e) Documentation. The facility must include in the public access file a description of the activities which constitute its compliance with each timely and significant step which is attested on Form ETA 9081 (e.g., summary of a training program for registered nurses; description of a career ladder showing meaningful opportunities for pay advancements for nurses). If the facility has attested that it will take an alternative step or that taking a second step is unreasonable, then the public access file must include the documentation which was submitted to ETA under paragraph (c) of this section. The facility must maintain in its non-public files, and must make available to the Administrator in the event of an enforcement action pursuant to subpart M of this part, documentation which provides a complete description of the nature and operation of its program(s) sufficient to substantiate its full compliance with the requirements of each timely and significant step which is attested to on Form ETA 9081. This documentation should include information relating to all of the requirements for the step in question.

(a) The fifth attestation element requires that the facility attest that “there is not a strike or lockout in the course of a labor dispute, the facility did not lay off and will not lay off a registered nurse employed by the facility within the period beginning 90 days before and ending 90 days after the date of filing of any visa petition, and the employment of such an alien is not intended or designated to influence an election for a bargaining representative for registered nurses of the facility.” Labor disputes for purposes of this attestation element relate only to those involving nurses providing nursing services; other health service occupations are not included. A facility which has filed a petition for H-1C nurses is also prohibited from interfering with the right of the nonimmigrant to join or organize a union.

(b) Notice of strike or lockout. In order to remain in compliance with the no strike or lockout portion of this attestation element, the facility must notify ETA if a strike or lockout of nurses at the facility occurs during the 1 year validity period of the attestation. Within 3 days of the occurrence of such strike or lockout, the facility must submit to the Administrator, Office of Foreign Labor Certification, Employment and Training Administration, Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Room C-4312, Washington, DC 20210, by U.S. mail or private carrier, written notice of the strike or lockout. Upon receiving a notice described in this section from a facility, ETA will examine the documentation, and may consult with the union at the facility or other appropriate entities. If ETA determines that the strike or lockout is covered under USCIS regulation 8 CFR 214.2(h)(17), Effect of a strike, for “H” nonimmigrants, ETA must certify to USCIS, in the manner set forth in that regulation, that a strike or other labor dispute involving a work stoppage of nurses is in progress at the facility.

(c) Lay off of a U.S. nurse means that the employer has caused the nurse's loss of employment in circumstances other than where—

(1) A U.S. nurse has been discharged for inadequate performance, violation of workplace rules, or other reasonable work-related cause;

(2) A U.S. nurse's departure or retirement is voluntary (to be assessed in light of the totality of the circumstances, under established principles concerning “constructive discharge” of workers who are pressured to leave employment);

(3) The grant or contract under which the work performed by the U.S. nurse is required and funded has expired, and without such grant or contract the nurse would not continue to be employed because there is no alternative funding or need for the position; or

(4) A U.S. nurse who loses employment is offered, as an alternative to such loss, a similar employment opportunity with the same employer. The validity of the offer of a similar employment opportunity will be assessed in light of the following factors:

(i) The offer is a bona fide offer, rather than an offer designed to induce the U.S. nurse to refuse or an offer made with the expectation that the worker will refuse;

(ii) The offered job provides the U.S. nurse an opportunity similar to that provided in the job from which he/she is discharged, in terms such as a similar level of authority, discretion, and responsibility, a similar opportunity for advancement within the organization, and similar tenure and work scheduling;

(iii) The offered job provides the U.S. nurse equivalent or higher compensation and benefits to those provided in the job from which he/she is discharged.

(d) Documentation. The facility must include in its public access file, copies of all notices of strikes or other labor disputes involving a work stoppage of nurses at the facility (submitted to ETA under paragraph (b) of this section). The facility must retain in its non-public files, and make available in the event of an enforcement action pursuant to subpart M of this part, any existing documentation with respect to the departure of each U.S. nurse who left his/her employment with the facility in the period from 90 days before until 90 days after the facility's petition for H-1C nurse(s). The facility is also required to have a record of the terms of any offer of alternative employment to such a U.S. nurse and the nurse's response to the offer (which may be a note to the file or other record of the nurse's response), and to make such record available in the event of an enforcement action pursuant to subpart M.

(a) The sixth attestation element requires the facility to attest that at the time of filing of the petition for registered nurses under section 101(a)(15)(H)(i)(c) of the INA, notice of filing has been provided by the facility to the bargaining representative of the registered nurses at the facility or, where there is no such bargaining representative, notice of the filing has been provided to registered nurses at the facility through posting in conspicuous locations, and individual copies of the Attestation have been provided to registered nurses employed at the facility.

(b) Notification of bargaining representative. (1) At a time no later than the date the attestation is transmitted to ETA, on ETA Form 9081, Attestation for H-1C Nonimmigrant Nurses, the facility must notify the bargaining representative (if any) for nurses at the facility that the attestation is being submitted. This notice may be either a copy of the attestation (ETA Form 9081) or a document stating that the attestations are available for review by interested parties at the facility (explaining how they can be inspected or obtained) and at the Office of Foreign Labor Certification, Employment and Training Administration, Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Room C-4312, Washington, DC 20210. The notice must include the following statement: “Complaints alleging misrepresentation of material facts in the attestation or failure to comply with the terms of the attestation may be filed with any office of the Wage and Hour Division, United States Department of Labor.”

(2) No later than the date the facility transmits a petition for H-1C nurses to USCIS, the facility must notify the bargaining representative (if any) for nurses at the facility that the H-1C petition is being submitted. This notice may be either a copy of petition, or a document stating that the attestations and H-1C petition are available for review by interested parties at the facility (explaining how they can be inspected or obtained) and at the Office of Foreign Labor Certification, Employment and Training Administration, Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Room C-4312, Washington, DC 20210. The notice must include the following statement: “Complaints alleging misrepresentation of material facts in the attestation or failure to comply with the terms of the attestation may be filed with any office of the Wage and Hour Division, United States Department of Labor.”

(c) Posting notice. If there is no bargaining representative for nurses at the facility, the facility must post a written notice in two or more conspicuous locations at the facility. Such notices shall be clearly visible and unobstructed while posted, and shall be posted in conspicuous places where nurses can easily read the notices on their way to or from their duties. Appropriate locations for posting hard copy notices include locations in the immediate proximity of mandatory Fair Labor Standards Act wage and hour notices and Occupational Safety and Health Act occupational safety and health notices. In the alternative, the facility may use electronic means it ordinarily uses to communicate with its nurses about job vacancies or promotion opportunities, including through its “home page” or “electronic bulletin board,” provided that the nurses have, as a practical matter, direct access to those sites; or, where the nurses have individual e-mail accounts, the facility may use e-mail. This must be accomplished no later than the date when the facility transmits an Attestation to ETA and the date when the facility transmits an H-1C petition to the USCIS. The notice may be either a copy of the Attestation or petition, or a document stating that the Attestation or petition has been filed and is available for review by interested parties at the facility (explaining how these documents can be inspected or obtained) and at the national office of ETA. The notice shall include the following statement: “Complaints alleging misrepresentation of material facts in the Attestation or failure to comply with the terms of the Attestation may be filed with any office of the Wage and Hour Division of the United States Department of Labor.” Unless it is sent to an individual e-mail address, the Attestation notice shall remain posted during the validity period of the Attestation; the petition notice shall remain posted for ten days. Copies of all notices shall be available for examination in the facility's public access file.

(d) Individual notice to RNs. In addition to notifying the bargaining representative or posting notice as described in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section, the facility must provide a copy of the Attestation, within 30 days of the date of filing, to every registered nurse employed at the facility. This requirement may be satisfied by electronic means if an individual e-mail message, with the Attestation as an attachment, is sent to every RN at the facility. This notification includes not only the RNs employed by the facility, but also includes any RN who is providing service at the facility as an employee of another entity, such as a nursing contractor.

(e) Where RNs lack practical computer access, a hard copy must be posted in accordance with paragraph (c) of this section and a hard copy of the Attestation delivered, within 30 days of the date of filing, to every RN employed at the facility in accordance with paragraph (d) of this section.

(f) The facility must maintain, in its public access file, copies of the notices required by this section. The facility must make such documentation available to the Administrator in the event of an enforcement action pursuant to subpart M of this part.

(a) The seventh attestation element requires that the facility attest that it will not, at any time, employ a number of H-1C nurses that exceeds 33% of the total number of registered nurses employed by the facility. The calculation of the population of nurses for purposes of this attestation includes only nurses who have an employer-employee relationship with the facility (as defined in § 655.1102).

(b) The facility must maintain documentation (e.g., payroll records, copies of H-1C petitions) that demonstrates its compliance with this attestation. The facility must make such documentation available to the Administrator in the event of an enforcement action pursuant to subpart M of this part.

The eighth attestation element requires that the facility attest that it will not authorize any H-1C nurse to perform services at any worksite not controlled by the facility or transfer any H-1C nurse from one worksite to another worksite, even if all of the worksites are controlled by the facility.

(a) An Attestation form which is complete and has no obvious inaccuracies will be accepted for filing by ETA without substantive review, except that ETA will conduct a substantive review on particular attestation elements in the following limited circumstances:

(1) Determination of whether the hospital submitting the Attestation is a qualifying “facility” (see § 655.1110(c)(ii), regarding the documentation required, and the process for review);

(2) Where the facility attests that it is taking or will take a “timely and significant step” other than those identified on the Form ETA 9081 (see § 655.1114(b)(2)(v), regarding the documentation required, and the process for review);

(3) Where the facility asserts that taking a second “timely and significant step” is unreasonable (see § 655.1114(c), regarding the documentation required, and the process for review).

(b) The certifying officer will act on the Attestation in a timely manner. If the officer does not contact the facility for information or make any determination within 30 days of receiving the Attestation, the Attestation shall be accepted for filing. If ETA receives information contesting the truth of the statements attested to or compliance with an Attestation prior to the determination to accept or reject the Attestation for filing, such information shall not be made part of ETA's administrative record on the Attestation but shall be referred to the Administrator to be processed as a complaint pursuant to subpart M of this part if such Attestation is accepted by ETA for filing.

(c) When the facility submits the attestation to ETA and provides the notice required by § 655.1116, the attestation must be made available for public examination at the facility. When ETA accepts the attestation for filing, the attestation will be made available, upon request, for public examination in the Office of Foreign Labor Certification, Employment Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, Room C-4312, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210.

(d) Standards for acceptance of Attestation. ETA will accept the Attestation for filing under the following standards:

(1) The Attestation is complete and contains no obvious inaccuracies.

(2) The facility's explanation and documentation are sufficient to satisfy the requirements for the Attestation elements on which substantive review is conducted (as described in paragraph (a) of this section).

(3) The facility has no outstanding “insufficient funds” check(s) in connection with filing fee(s) for prior Attestation(s).

(4) The facility has no outstanding civil money penalties and/or has not failed to satisfy a remedy assessed by the Wage and Hour Administrator, under subpart M of this part, where that penalty or remedy assessment has become the final agency action.

(5) The facility has not been disqualified from approval of any petitions filed by, or on behalf of, the facility under section 204 or section 212(m) of the INA.

(e) DOL not the guarantor. DOL is not the guarantor of the accuracy, truthfulness or adequacy of an Attestation accepted for filing.

(f) Attestation Effective and Expiration Dates. An Attestation becomes filed and effective as of the date it is accepted and signed by the ETA certifying officer. Such Attestation is valid until the date that is the later of the end of the 12-month period beginning on the date of acceptance for filing with the Secretary, or the end of the period of admission (under INA section 101(a)(15)(H)(i)(c)) of the last alien with respect to whose admission the Attestation was applied, unless the Attestation is suspended or invalidated earlier than such date pursuant to § 655.1132.

(a) Suspension or invalidation of an Attestation may result where: the facility's check for the filing fee is not honored by a financial institution; a Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals (BALCA) decision reverses an ETA certification of the Attestation; ETA finds that it made an error in its review and certification of the Attestation; an enforcement proceeding has finally determined that the facility failed to meet a condition attested to, or that there was a misrepresentation of material fact in an Attestation; the facility has failed to pay civil money penalties and/or failed to satisfy a remedy assessed by the Wage and Hour Administrator, where that penalty or remedy assessment has become the final agency action. If an Attestation is suspended or invalidated, ETA will notify USCIS.

(b) BALCA decision or final agency action in an enforcement proceeding. If an Attestation is suspended or invalidated as a result of a BALCA decision overruling an ETA acceptance of the Attestation for filing, or is suspended or invalidated as a result of an enforcement action by the Administrator under subpart M of this part, such suspension or invalidation may not be separately appealed, but shall be merged with appeals on the underlying matter.

(c) ETA action. If, after accepting an Attestation for filing, ETA discovers that it erroneously accepted that Attestation for filing and, as a result, ETA suspends or invalidates that acceptance, the facility may appeal such suspension or invalidation under § 655.1135 as if that suspension or invalidation were a decision to reject the Attestation for filing.

(d) A facility must comply with the terms of its Attestation, even if such Attestation is suspended, invalidated or expired, as long as any H-1C nurse is at the facility, unless the Attestation is superseded by a subsequent Attestation accepted for filing by ETA.

(a) Appeals of acceptances or rejections. Any interested party may appeal ETA's acceptance or rejection of an Attestation submitted by a facility for filing. However, such an appeal shall be limited to ETA's determination on one or more of the attestation elements for which ETA conducts a substantive review (as described in § 655.1130(a)). Such appeal must be filed no later than 30 days after the date of the acceptance or rejection, and will be considered under the procedures set forth at paragraphs (d) and (f) of this section.

(b) Appeal of invalidation or suspension. An interested party may appeal ETA's invalidation or suspension of a filed Attestation due to a discovery by ETA that it made an error in its review of the Attestation, as described in § 655.1132.

(c) Parties to the appeal. In the case of an appeal of an acceptance, the facility will be a party to the appeal; in the case of the appeal of a rejection, invalidation, or suspension, the collective bargaining representative (if any) representing nurses at the facility shall be a party to the appeal. Appeals shall be in writing; shall set forth the grounds for the appeal; shall state if de novo consideration by BALCA is requested; and shall be mailed by certified mail within 30 calendar days of the date of the action from which the appeal is taken (i.e., the acceptance, rejection, suspension or invalidation of the Attestation).

(d) Where to file appeals. Appeals made under this section must be in writing and must be mailed by certified mail to: U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Office of Foreign Labor Certification, Chicago National Processing Center, 536 South Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60605-1509.

(e) Transmittal of the case file to BALCA. Upon receipt of an appeal under this section, the Certifying Office shall send to BALCA a certified copy of the ETA case file, containing the Attestation and supporting documentation and any other information or data considered by ETA in taking the action being appealed. The administrative law judge chairing BALCA shall assign a panel of one or more administrative law judges who serve on BALCA to review the record for legal sufficiency and to consider and rule on the appeal.

(f) Consideration on the record; de novo hearings. BALCA may not remand, dismiss, or stay the case, except as provided in paragraph (h) of this section, but may otherwise consider the appeal on the record or in a de novo hearing (on its own motion or on a party's request). Interested parties and amici curiae may submit briefs in accordance with a schedule set by BALCA. The ETA official who made the determination which was appealed will be represented by the Associate Solicitor for Employment and Training Legal Services, Office of the Solicitor, Department of Labor, or the Associate Solicitor's designee. If BALCA determines to hear the appeal on the record without a de novo hearing, BALCA shall render a decision within 30 calendar days after BALCA's receipt of the case file. If BALCA determines to hear the appeal through a de novo hearing, the procedures contained in 29 CFR part 18 will apply to such hearings, except that:

(1) The appeal will not be considered to be a complaint to which an answer is required.

(2) BALCA shall ensure that, at the request of the appellant, the hearing is scheduled to take place within a reasonable period after BALCA's receipt of the case file (see also the time period described in paragraph (f)(4) of this section).

(3) Technical rules of evidence, such as the Federal Rules of Evidence and subpart B of the Rules of Practice and Procedure for Administrative Hearings Before the Office of Administrative Law Judges (29 CFR part 18, subpart B), will not apply to any hearing conducted pursuant to this subpart, but rules or principles designed to assure production of the most credible evidence available, and to subject testimony to test by cross-examination, shall be applied where reasonably necessary by BALCA in conducting the hearing. BALCA may exclude irrelevant, immaterial, or unduly repetitious evidence. The certified copy of the case file transmitted to BALCA by the Certifying Officer must be made part of the evidentiary record of the case and need not be moved into evidence.

(4) BALCA's decision shall be rendered within 120 calendar days after BALCA's receipt of the case file.

(g) Dismissals and stays. If BALCA determines that the appeal is solely a question of misrepresentation by the facility or is solely a complaint of the facility's nonperformance of the Attestation, BALCA shall dismiss the case and refer the matter to the Administrator, Wage and Hour Division, for action under subpart M. If BALCA determines that the appeal is partially a question of misrepresentation by the facility, or is partially a complaint of the facility's nonperformance of the Attestation, BALCA shall refer the matter to the Administrator, Wage and Hour Division, for action under subpart M of this part and shall stay BALCA consideration of the case pending final agency action on such referral. During such stay, the 120-day period described in paragraph (f)(1)(iv) of this section shall be suspended.

(h) BALCA's decision. After consideration on the record or a de novo hearing, BALCA shall either affirm or reverse ETA's decision, and shall so notify the appellant; and any other parties.

(i) Decisions on Attestations. With respect to an appeal of the acceptance, rejection, suspension or invalidation of an Attestation, the decision of BALCA shall be the final decision of the Secretary, and no further review shall be given to the matter by any DOL official.

(a) Public examination at ETA. ETA will make available, upon request, for public examination at the Office of Foreign Labor Certification, Employment Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, Room C-4312, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210, a list of facilities which have filed attestations; a copy of the facility's attestation(s) and any supporting documentation; and a copy of each of the facility's H-1C petitions (if any) to USCIS along with the USCIS approval notices (if any).

(b) Public examination at facility. For the duration of the Attestation's validity and thereafter for so long as the facility employs any H-1C nurse under the Attestation, the facility must maintain a separate file containing a copy of the Attestation, a copy of the prevailing wage determination, a description of the facility pay system or a copy of the facility's pay schedule if either document exists, copies of the notices provided under § 655.1115 and § 655.1116, a description of the “timely and significant steps” as described in § 655.1114, and any other documentation required by this part to be contained in the public access file. The facility must make this file available to any interested parties within 72 hours upon written or oral request. If a party requests a copy of the file, the facility shall provide it and any charge for such copy shall not exceed the cost of reproduction.

(c) ETA Notice to public. ETA will periodically publish a notice in the Federal Register announcing the names and addresses of facilities which have submitted Attestations; facilities which have Attestations on file; facilities which have submitted Attestations which have been rejected for filing; and facilities which have had Attestations suspended.