Agency Information Collection Activities; Revision of a Currently Approved Collection: Online Request To Be a Supporter and Declaration of Financial Support, 62586-62587 [2023-19648]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 175 (Tuesday, September 12, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62586-62587]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-19648]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

[OMB Control Number 1615-0157]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Revision of a Currently 
Approved Collection: Online Request To Be a Supporter and Declaration 
of Financial Support

AGENCY: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of 
Homeland Security.

ACTION: 60-Day notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship 
and Immigration Services (USCIS) invites the general public and other 
Federal agencies to comment upon this proposed revision of a currently 
approved collection of information. In accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, the information collection notice is 
published in the Federal Register to obtain comments regarding the 
nature of the information collection, the categories of respondents, 
the estimated burden (i.e. the time, effort, and resources used by the 
respondents to respond), the estimated cost to the respondent, and the 
actual information collection instruments.

DATES: Comments are encouraged and will be accepted for 60 days until 
November 13, 2023.

ADDRESSES: All submissions received must include the OMB Control Number 
1615-0157 in the body of the letter, the agency name and Docket ID 
USCIS-2023-0004. Submit comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal 
website at https://www.regulations.gov under e-Docket ID number USCIS-
2023-0004.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: USCIS, Office of Policy and Strategy, 
Regulatory Coordination Division, Samantha Deshommes, Chief, telephone 
number (240) 721-3000 (This is not a toll-free number. Comments are not 
accepted via telephone message). Please note contact information 
provided here is solely for questions regarding this notice. It is not 
for individual case status inquiries. Applicants seeking information 
about the status of their individual cases can check Case Status 
Online, available at the USCIS website at https://www.uscis.gov, or 
call the USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283 (TTY 800-767-1833).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    This notice seeks comment on the USCIS Form I-134A information 
collection package, which DHS uses in connection with certain parole 
processes. In January 2023, at DHS's request, the Office of Management 
and Budget approved this new collection in accordance with emergency 
procedures set forth at 5 CFR 1320.13. DHS uses this collection to 
implement processes through which nationals of certain countries and 
their immediate family members may request to come to the United States 
in a safe and orderly way. The collection is an outgrowth of USCIS Form 
I-134 (OMB Control Number 1615-0014), and has been used in connection 
with Uniting for Ukraine; a new parole process for certain Cubans,\1\ 
Haitians,\2\ and Nicaraguans,\3\ and Venezuelans; \4\ new family 
reunification parole processes for certain Colombians,\5\ 
Salvadorans,\6\ Guatemalans,\7\ and Hondurans; \8\ and procedural 
changes to the previously established Cuban \9\ and Haitian \10\ Family 
Reunification Parole processes. The emergency processing activities 
associated with implementing these processes were necessary for 
multiple reasons, including to address the urgent humanitarian events 
transpiring in Ukraine, to prevent complications for the United States' 
ongoing efforts to engage hemispheric partners to increase their 
efforts to collaboratively manage and reduce irregular migration that 
could have arisen without timely action by the United States, and to 
avoid incentivizing irregular migration during a public comment period.
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    \1\ 88 FR 1266 (Jan. 9, 2023); see also 88 FR 26329 (Apr. 28, 
2023).
    \2\ 88 FR 1243 (Jan. 9, 2023); see also 26 FR 327 (Apr. 28, 
2023).
    \3\ 88 FR 1255 (Jan. 9, 2023).
    \4\ 87 FR 63507 (Oct. 19, 2022); see also 88 FR 1279 (Jan. 9, 
2023).
    \5\ 88 FR 43591 (July 10, 2023).
    \6\ 88 FR 43611 (July 10, 2023).
    \7\ 88 FR 43581 (July 10, 2023).
    \8\ 88 FR 43601 (July 10, 2023).
    \9\ 88 FR 54639 (Aug. 11, 2023).
    \10\ 88 FR 54635 (Aug. 11, 2023).
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    Under these processes, certain beneficiaries who are outside the 
United States and lack U.S. entry documents may be considered, on a 
case-by-case basis, for advance authorization to travel and a temporary 
period of parole for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public 
benefit. To participate, eligible beneficiaries must:
     Have a supporter in the United States;
     Undergo and clear robust security vetting;
     Meet other eligibility criteria; and
     Warrant a favorable exercise of discretion.
    Individuals participating in these processes must have a supporter 
in the United States who agrees to provide them with financial support 
for the duration of their parole in the United States. Prospective 
supporters submit a Form I-134A for each proposed parolee 
(beneficiary), including, if applicable, derivatives of the principal 
beneficiary, with USCIS through the USCIS online web portal to initiate 
the special parole or parole under the family reunification process. 
Form I-134A identifies and collects information on both the supporter 
and the beneficiary. The supporter must submit evidence establishing 
their income and assets and commit to provide financial support to the 
beneficiary for the duration of parole. A supporter filing under a 
family reunification parole process is also required to submit evidence 
establishing the family relationships between the principal beneficiary 
and all derivative beneficiaries. No fee is required to file Form I-
134A. USCIS will perform background checks on the supporter and verify 
their financial information to ensure that the supporter is able to 
financially support the beneficiary. If the supporter's Form I-134A is 
confirmed, the beneficiary named in the Form I-134A will receive an 
email from

[[Page 62587]]

USCIS with instructions to create a USCIS online account and next steps 
for completing the request. See Advance Travel Authorization (ATA) (OMB 
Control Number 1651-0143) for the approved collection of information 
for the next steps in affected parole processes.

Comments

    You may access the information collection instrument with 
instructions or additional information by visiting the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal site at: https://www.regulations.gov and entering 
USCIS-2023-0004 in the search box. All submissions will be posted, 
without change, to the Federal eRulemaking Portal at https://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. DHS may 
withhold information provided in comments from public viewing that it 
determines may impact the privacy of an individual or is offensive. For 
additional information, please read the Privacy Act notice that is 
available via the link in the footer of https://www.regulations.gov.
    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: Revision of a Currently 
Approved Collection.
    (2) Title of the Form/Collection: Online Request to be a Supporter 
and Declaration of Financial Support.
    (3) Agency form number, if any, and the applicable component of the 
DHS sponsoring the collection: I-134A; USCIS.
    (4) Affected public who will be asked or required to respond, as 
well as a brief abstract: Primary: Individuals or households. USCIS 
uses Form I-134A to determine whether a U.S.-based individual has 
sufficient financial resources and access to those funds to support the 
beneficiary named on the Form I-134A for the duration of their 
temporary stay in the United States, as well as to obtain information 
concerning whether the beneficiary merits a favorable exercise of 
discretion under the statutory parole standard.
    Form I-134A is filed by a U.S.-based individual (the potential 
supporter) to request to be a supporter, agree to provide financial 
support to the beneficiary named on the form during the beneficiary's 
period of stay in the United States, and to provide information 
concerning why the beneficiary warrants a discretionary grant of 
parole.
    (5) An estimate of the total number of respondents and the amount 
of time estimated for an average respondent to respond: The estimated 
total number of respondents for the information collection I-134A is 
1,202,000, and the estimated hour burden per response is 2.11 hours.
    (6) An estimate of the total public burden (in hours) associated 
with the collection: The total estimated annual hour burden associated 
with this collection is 2,536,220 hours.
    (7) An estimate of the total public burden (in cost) associated 
with the collection: The estimated total annual cost burden associated 
with this collection of information is $0.00.
    USCIS specifically requests comments on the agency's estimate of 
the number of respondents who will submit Form I-134A, on average, in a 
given 12-month period. USCIS has added to the burden estimate for this 
collection, to account for any potential expansion(s) that align with 
new or revised policies or processing capacity over the next three 
years. USCIS also notes that the number of requests to be a supporter 
that USCIS is currently receiving exceeds our initial estimates. 
Anecdotal evidence indicates that supporters are submitting multiple, 
duplicate requests for the same beneficiary. USCIS welcomes public 
input on why supporters are creating duplicate requests to inform our 
estimates.

    Dated: September 7, 2023.
Samantha L. Deshommes,
Chief, Regulatory Coordination Division, Office of Policy and Strategy, 
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of Homeland 
Security.
[FR Doc. 2023-19648 Filed 9-11-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9111-97-P