CBP can’t determine the extent to which Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program members receive benefits because of inaccurate data, and can't be sure members always receive the benefits CBP has publicized, the Government Accountability Office said in a report released Feb. 8 (here). CBP data on import-related actions, such as processing times and examination and hold rates, collected through its Dashboard data reporting tool is inaccurate and unreliable, preventing the agency from assessing the extent members see benefits like reduced likelihood of examinations, the report says. CBP has “likely relied” on questionable data since it developed the dashboard in 2012, and can’t be assured that C-TPAT members have consistently been given the outlined benefits, the GAO said.
CBP posted an agenda (here) and other documents for the upcoming Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) meeting on Nov. 17 (here) in Washington. Among the posted items are draft recommendations from the forced labor working group (here) that suggest regulatory changes should be made to define when CBP must decide to make a formal finding after a withhold release order is issued. Currently, CBP's regulations don't specify timing, so "CBP should establish an appropriate timeframe to respond to an importer’s proof of admissibility as a result of a WRO," the group said. The agency should also make changes to proof of admissibility requirements in the regulations and seek comments on any changes, it said.
NEW YORK -- The Centers of Excellence and Expertise are working closely with the Office of Regulatory Audit as it increasingly uses surveys to explore potential areas of compliance problems, said Todd Owen, CBP executive assistant commissioner, Office of Field Operations, Nov. 9 at the Apparel Importers Trade and Transportation Conference. Through the CEEs, "we look at all the disciplines that touch a company" so "there is that level of communication between the account managers, the import specialists and the auditors as we're going forward with this approach," he said. CBP is using “informed compliance” letters and questionnaires sent to importers as part of a broader shift toward the use of audit surveys in the agency’s compliance verification activities (see 1608090024).
The Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) for CBP will next meet Nov. 17 in Washington, CBP said in a notice (here).
ORLANDO -- After several companies expressed interest to the government to get Foreign-Trade Zone benefits without goods transiting a physical FTZ location, the FTZ Board and CBP jointly determined there is no basis to grant such perks, FTZ Board Executive Secretary Andrew McGilvray said Oct. 18 during the National Association of Foreign Trade Zones annual conference. That's because of the Foreign-Trade Zones Act and a law passed in 2000 that affects weekly entry, he said. Speaking Oct. 17 during the same conference, Jim Swanson, director of cargo security and controls in CBP’s Office of Field Operations, said that big companies approached the government to explore a “virtual” FTZ, highlighting that FTZ-afforded weekly entries would help them avoid paying merchandise processing fees.
The U.S. and Canadian single window data requirements are about as closely aligned as possible, the White House said in its 2015 Beyond the Border Implementation Report (here). "To better align single window programs in each country, CBP and the [Canada Border Services Agency] have harmonized 96% of their single window data requirements (the remaining 4% relate to data requirements specific to each country)," the White House said. The report details recent progress on the Beyond the Border plan, a combined effort by the two countries to improve travel and trade processing.
NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, Ontario -- The Canada Border Services Agency looks set to streamline its plans for upcoming advanced import data transmission requirements for importers, similar to the U.S. Importer Security Filing, as it moves toward implementation of the eManifest importer requirement by 2018 at the earliest, according to panelists from CBSA and the Canadian Society of Customs Brokers at the CSCB National Conference on Sept. 26. Rather than require two separate transmissions, CBSA will instead require filing at the same time and in the same system as cargo release data, said Melanie Bedard of Milgram & Company, who led the panel discussion.
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CBP recently added several ports to its Advanced Qualified Unlading Approval (AQUA) program that allows some carriers to unlade cargo before meeting with CBP, the agency said in a list of frequently asked questions on the program (here). Sea carriers that are in the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program that "have been validated and are in good standing at the time of unlading" are eligible to participate in AQUA, CBP said. The ports of Miami, Long Beach, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, Savannah and Seattle/Tacoma began participation on Sept. 15. The ports of Charleston; Houston; Jacksonville; Honolulu; Philadelphia; Boston; San Juan; Norfolk, Virginia; Wilmington, Delaware; and Wilmington, North Carolina will take part starting Dec. 15, CBP said. Initial participants were the ports in New Orleans, Baltimore, Oakland and Port Everglades, Florida (see 1511250011).
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for Sept.12-16 in case they were missed.