Department of State July 30, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department has determined that electronic scanned records of Category I nonimmigrant visa refusals and nonimmigrant visa applications (Form DS-156 [OMB-1405-018]) are to be treated as the official or original records of the Department of State. In accordance with The Government Paperwork Elimination Act (GPEA), the Department's scanned records are not to be denied legal effect, validity, or enforceability merely because they are in electronic form. In October 21, 1998, Congress enacted the Government Paperwork Elimination Act (GPEA) which required, when practicable, Federal agencies to use electronic processes to conduct agency business. The purpose of the GPEA was to preclude agencies or courts from systematically treating electronic documents and signatures less favorably than their paper counterparts. In accordance with the GPEA, the Department of State launched the electronic scanning initiative in October 2001, which began the scanning of Category I nonimmigrant visa refusal paper records at selected posts. By May 2004, the Department of State expanded this scanning initiative to all posts. As of March 31, 2008, the Department has maintained the scanning of all Category I nonimmigrant visa refusal paper records and has also expanded its scanning initiative to include the scanning of nonimmigrant visa applications (Form DS-156 [OMB-1405-0018]) at selected high-volume posts. By expanding the scanning initiative, the Department of State seeks to: Reduce costs associated with physical storage and improve access to these records with an electronic information management (EIM) interface. Manage millions of records and retrieve the ones that are needed expeditiously. Share documents with other offices or access them remotely while protecting confidential information. Create reports relating to case management, workload, and level-of-effort quantifications.