Department of State – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This temporary final rule (TFR) provides flexibility for consular officers to waive the personal appearance of certain repeat immigrant visa applicants who were approved for an immigrant visa in the same classification and on the same basis as the current application on or after August 4, 2019. It also gives consular officers discretion to allow this subset of immigrant visa applicants to affirm the accuracy of the contents of their application without appearing in person before a consular officer. This TFR is effective immediately and expires after 24 months. The final rule portion of this document reinstates parts of the regulations with certain updates after the expiration of the TFR.

The Department of State is amending the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) to add Cambodia in the list of countries for which it is the policy of the United States to deny licenses and other approvals for exports and imports of defense articles and defense services. This change reflects that it is the policy of the United States to deny all licenses and other approvals to export and import defense articles and defense services destined for or originating in Cambodia, except as otherwise provided herein.

The Department of State is seeking Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval for the information collection described below. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we are requesting comments on this collection from all interested individuals and organizations. The purpose of this notice is to allow 30 days for public comment preceding submission of the collection to OMB.

On October 11, 2019, the Department of State (``the Department'') published an interim final rule (``IFR'') regarding visa ineligibility on public charge grounds and accepted public comments on the rule through November 12, 2019. Given the many changed circumstances since publication of the IFR, the Department is soliciting additional information from the public by reopening the public comment period for an additional 60 days.

The Department of State has submitted the information collection described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 we are requesting comments on this collection from all interested individuals and organizations. The purpose of this Notice is to allow 30 days for public comment.

Notice is hereby given of the following determinations: I hereby determine that certain objects being imported from abroad pursuant to an agreement with their foreign owner or custodian for temporary display in the exhibition ``Fashioning an Empire: Safavid Textiles from the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha'' at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia, and at possible additional exhibitions or venues yet to be determined, are of cultural significance, and, further, that their temporary exhibition or display within the United States as aforementioned is in the national interest. I have ordered that Public Notice of these determinations be published in the Federal Register.

On October 21, 2021, the Department of State certified to Congress that Mexico's turtle excluder device (TED) program was determined to again be comparable to the United States program. Wild- caught shrimp harvested in Mexico is again eligible to enter the United States in accordance with Section 609(b)(2)(A) and (B).

Notice is hereby given of the following determinations: I hereby determine that certain objects being imported from abroad pursuant to agreements with their foreign owners or custodians for temporary display in the exhibition ``Picasso: Painting the Blue Period'' at The Phillips Collection, Washington, District of Columbia, and at possible additional exhibitions or venues yet to be determined, are of cultural significance, and, further, that their temporary exhibition or display within the United States as aforementioned is in the national interest. I have ordered that Public Notice of these determinations be published in the Federal Register.

The Department of State is seeking Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval for the information collection described below. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we are requesting comments on this collection from all interested individuals and organizations. The purpose of this notice is to allow 60 days for public comment preceding submission of the collection to OMB.

The Department of State is amending the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) to add and update entries for Ethiopia and Eritrea, respectively. These changes codify that it is the policy of the United States to deny licenses and other approvals for exports of defense articles and defense services to certain end-users in those countries as described herein.

This rule adopts as final the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) published in the Federal Register on March 26, 2021. This final rule adjusts the Schedule of Fees for Consular Services (Schedule of Fees) by increasing the passport book security surcharge (PSS) from $60 to $80. This increase reflects increases in security-related costs for processing passports attributed to the PSS. Increases in security- related costs are largely due to a 37 percent increase in compensation costs for passport adjudicators and enhanced printing technology costs for the Next Generation (NextGen) passport book. Based on FY 2022 projections of 15.9 million passport products for which the PSS is included as part of the overall fee (passport books, and passport books and card combinations), the Department anticipates an additional $318 million in revenue. The Department retains all PSS revenue, and it is used to cover the costs associated with passport application processing that support enhanced border security. The adjustment will result in a more accurate alignment of the fees for consular services to the costs of providing the services.

Notice is hereby given of the following determinations: I hereby determine that certain objects being imported from abroad pursuant to agreements with their foreign owners or custodians for temporary display in the exhibition ``Revealing Krishna: Journey to Cambodia's Sacred Mountain'' at the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio, and at possible additional exhibitions or venues yet to be determined, are of cultural significance, and, further, that their temporary exhibition or display within the United States as aforementioned is in the national interest. I have ordered that Public Notice of these determinations be published in the Federal Register.

Pursuant to the authority vested in me by section 7014(b) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2020 (FY 2020 SFOAA), and Department of State Delegation of Authority 513, I hereby determine that a significant change in circumstances makes it unlikely that the following funds specifically designated for particular programs or activities by the FY 2020 SFOAA or any other Act can be obligated during the original periods of availability of such funds: $126,926,815 in the Economic Support Fund (ESF) account; $5,000,000 in the Global Health Programs (GHP)USAID account; $14,000,000 in the International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement (INCLE) account; and $18,000,000 in the Nonproliferation, Anti-terrorism, Demining, and Related Programs (NADR) account. This determination shall be published in the Federal Register and, along with the accompanying Memorandum of Justification, shall be transmitted to Congress.

Notice is hereby given of the following determinations: I hereby determine that certain objects being imported from abroad pursuant to an agreement with their foreign owner or custodian for temporary display in the exhibition ``The Greek Bible and Cultural Heritage of the Ecumenical Patriarchate'' at the Museum of the Bible, Washington, District of Columbia, and at possible additional exhibitions or venues yet to be determined, are of cultural significance, and, further, that their temporary exhibition or display within the United States as aforementioned is in the national interest. I have ordered that Public Notice of these determinations be published in the Federal Register.

Notice is hereby given of the following determinations: I hereby determine that certain objects being imported from abroad pursuant to an agreement with their foreign owner or custodian for temporary conservation, scientific research, and exhibition or display in the exhibitions ``Transcending Time,'' ``Mary,'' and ``Passion for Collecting'' at the J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center, Los Angeles, California, and at possible additional exhibitions or venues yet to be determined, are of cultural significance, and, further, that their temporary conservation, scientific research, and exhibition or display within the United States as aforementioned is in the national interest. I have ordered that Public Notice of these determinations be published in the Federal Register.

Notice is hereby given of the following determinations: I hereby determine that certain objects being imported from abroad pursuant to agreements with their foreign owner or custodian for temporary display in the exhibition ``Through Vincent's Eyes: Van Gogh and His Sources'' at the Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, Ohio; the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, California; and at possible additional exhibitions or venues yet to be determined, are of cultural significance, and, further, that their temporary exhibition or display within the United States as aforementioned is in the national interest. I have ordered that Public Notice of these determinations be published in the Federal Register.