SILVER SPRING, MD (June 16, 2022) - In response to the use of forced labor, especially in the Xianjing province of China, Congress passed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) to block the importation of consumer goods made with or containing inputs produced with Forced Labor. In recognition of the challenges in identifying the source of every input, Congress set a June 21 implementation date to give importers six months to prepare - but CBP offered no guidance until now. On June 15, six days before implantation of new Forced Labor laws, CBP issued Operational Guidance on the Act for importers.
The Operational Guidance includes:
- The Detention process for UFLPA
- Scope of decisions are not UFLPA exception requests
- Treatment of identical shipments from same supply chains
- CTPAT members receive priority review for UFLPA exceptions
- Caution on products from factories with dual source of materials
The full CBP guidance on the enforcement of UFLPA can be found here.
SFIA thanks Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg for their contributions to this article.
For more information, please contact Bill Sells, SVP Government Relations & Public Affairs, at bsells@sfia.org.