Agency Information Collection Activities: Registration for Classification as a Refugee, Form I-590; Revision of a Currently Approved Collection

ACTION:

30-Day notice.

SUMMARY:

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will be submitting the following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The information collection notice was previously published in the Federal Register on September 20, 2013, at 78 FR 57870, allowing for a 60-day public comment period. USCIS received one comment in connection with the 60-day notice.

DATES:

The purpose of this notice is to allow an additional 30 days for public comments. Comments are encouraged and will be accepted until March 7, 2014. This process is conducted in accordance with 5 CFR 1320.10.

ADDRESSES:

Written comments and/or suggestions regarding the item(s) contained in this notice, especially regarding the estimated public burden and associated response time, must be directed to the OMB USCIS Desk Officer via email at oira_submission@omb.eop.gov. The comments submitted to the OMB USCIS Desk Officer may also be submitted to DHS via the Federal eRulemaking Portal Web site at http://www.regulations.gov under e-Docket ID number USCIS-2007-0036 or via email at uscisfrcomment@uscis.dhs.gov. All submissions received must include the agency name and the OMB Control Number 1615-0068.

Regardless of the method used for submitting comments or material, all submissions will be posted, without change, to the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov,, and will include any personal information you provide. Therefore, submitting this information makes it public. You may wish to consider limiting the amount of personal information that you provide in any voluntary submission you make to DHS. For additional information please read the Privacy Act notice that is available via the link in the footer of http://www.regulations.gov.

Note:

The address listed in this notice should only be used to submit comments concerning this information collection. Please do not submit requests for individual case status inquiries to this address. If you are seeking information about the status of your individual case, please check “My Case Status” online at: https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/Dashboard.do,, or call the USCIS National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283.

Written comments and suggestions from the public and affected agencies should address one or more of the following four points:

(1) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility;

(2) Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;

(3) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and

(4) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.

Overview of This Information Collection

(1) Type of Information Collection Request: Revision of a Currently Approved Collection.

(2) Title of the Form/Collection: Registration for Classification as Refuge.

(3) Agency form number, if any, and the applicable component of the DHS sponsoring the collection: Form I-590; USCIS.

(4) Affected public who will be asked or required to respond, as well as a brief abstract: Primary: Individuals or households. Form I-590 provides a uniform method for applicants to apply for refugee status and contains the information needed for USCIS to adjudicate such applications.

The revised Form I-590 includes additional questions that have been transferred from Form G-646, Sworn Statement of Refugee Applying for Admission into the United States. These questions assist USCIS in determining whether an applicant is inadmissible to the United States.

(5) An estimate of the total number of respondents and the amount of time estimated for an average respondent to respond: Registration for Classification—100,000 respondents at 3 hours and 20 minutes (3.33 hours) per response; Request for Interview—1,500 respondents at 1 hour per response; DNA Evidence—100 respondents at 2 hours per response.

(6) An estimate of the total public burden (in hours) associated with the collection: 334,700 annual burden hours.

If you need a copy of the information collection instrument with supplementary documents, or need additional information, please visit http://www.regulations.gov. We may also be contacted at: USCIS, Office of Policy and Strategy, Regulatory Coordination Division, 20 Massachusetts Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20529-2140; Telephone 202-272-8377.