Immigration: District Office Rapid Adjudication Pilot Program; filing procedures for Form I-485 applicants; optional participation requirement, 34268-34269 [E7-11989]

Agencies

• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

[Federal Register: June 21, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 119)]
[Notices]
[Page 34268-34269]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr21jn07-53]

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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

[CIS No. 2413-07; DHS Docket No. USCIS-2007-0031]
RIN 1615-ZA52


Making Participation in the DORA Pilot Program Optional for Form
I-485 Applicants

AGENCY: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, DHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This Notice modifies U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services' District Office Rapid Adjudication (DORA) pilot program so
that participation is optional rather than mandatory. The pilot program
is open to certain aliens residing in the jurisdiction of the Dallas,
El Paso, or Oklahoma City offices seeking to file Form I-485,
Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, with U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services.

DATES: This Notice is effective June 21, 2007 and will terminate on
September 21, 2007.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kristie Krebs, Adjudications Officer,
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of Homeland
Security, 20 Massachusetts Avenue, NW., Suite 1000, Washington, DC
20526, Telephone (202) 272-1001.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    In September 2006, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
(USCIS) announced the participation requirements for the District
Office Rapid Adjudication (DORA) pilot program. See 71 FR 55206 (Sept.
21, 2006). This program pilots an alternate procedure for the filing
and processing of Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent
Residence or Adjust Status. The purpose of the pilot program is to test
whether alternate filing procedures will result in reduced Form I-485
processing times.

[[Page 34269]]

    The DORA pilot program applies to certain Form I-485 applicants
residing within the jurisdiction of the Dallas District Office, El Paso
District Office, or Oklahoma City Sub-Office. See 71 FR at 55206-55207
for eligibility and residence requirements. These applicants only may
file Form I-485 by appearing in person at the appropriate USCIS local
office after self-scheduling an appointment using Internet-based
InfoPass. If the application package is complete at the time of filing,
a USCIS officer will conduct any required interview on the same day and
will schedule the applicant for biometrics capture. By contrast, normal
Form I-485 filing procedures require applicants to mail-in their Form
I-485 application package to the Chicago Lockbox Facility and await
receipt of an appointment notice from USCIS for both biometrics capture
and an interview. See Direct Mail Instructions for filing Form I-485.

II. Change to Pilot Program

    Under this Notice, eligible applicants are no longer required to
participate in the DORA pilot program. Instead, such applicants may
choose either to file the Form I-485 package under the DORA pilot
program or mail the package pursuant to the Direct Mail Instructions
for Form I-485. USCIS is making participation in the DORA pilot program
optional for these Form I-485 applicants because of the recent increase
in demand for available Infopass appointments. As a result of this
increase, Infopass users are waiting an average of three weeks before
getting an appointment to appear at a USCIS office. USCIS believes that
this increase is a result of a rulemaking in which USCIS proposed to
increase the fees on applications and petitions. See 72 FR 4888 (Feb.
1, 2007). Optional filing will accommodate eligible applicants who wish
to file their Form I-485 application package immediately by mail under
the current fee schedule, rather than wait for an Infopass appointment
to file in person under the DORA pilot program and potentially be
subject to higher application fees. USCIS will post the optional filing
procedures under the DORA pilot program on the Web pages for the
Dallas, El Paso, and Oklahoma City offices, accessible from https://www.uscis.gov
.


III. Paperwork Reduction Act

    Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13, 109
Stat. 163 (1995), all Departments are required to submit to the Office
of Management and Budget (OMB), for review and approval, any reporting
or recordkeeping requirements. This Notice will not increase the burden
for those applicants in the Dallas, El Paso, and Oklahoma City offices,
as filing under the pilot program is optional.

    Dated: June 5, 2007.
Emilio T. Gonzalez,
Director, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
[FR Doc. E7-11989 Filed 6-20-07; 8:45 am]

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