[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 247 (Wednesday, December 23, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 83990-83991]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-28423]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

[OMB Control Number 1615-0030]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Extension, Without 
Change, of a Currently Approved Collection; Application for Waiver of 
the Foreign Residence Requirement of Section 212(e) of the Immigration 
and Nationality Act

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

ACTION: 30-Day notice.

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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 purpose of this notice is to allow an 
additional 30 days for public comments.

DATES: Comments are encouraged and will be accepted until January 22, 
2021.

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 submitted via the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal website at http://www.regulations.gov under e-Docket 
ID number USCIS-2008-0012. All submissions received must include the 
OMB Control Number 1615-0030 in the body of the letter, the agency name 
and Docket ID USCIS-2008-0012.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: USCIS, Office of Policy and Strategy, 
Regulatory Coordination Division,

[[Page 83991]]

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 
http://www.uscis.gov, or call the USCIS Contact Center at (800) 375-
5283; TTY (800) 767-1833.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Comments

    The information collection notice was previously published in the 
Federal Register on August 26, 2020, at 85 FR 52623, allowing for a 60-
day public comment period. USCIS did not receive comments in connection 
with the 60-day notice.
    You may access the information collection instrument with 
instructions, or additional information by visiting the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal site at: http://www.regulations.gov and enter USCIS-
2008-0012 in the search box. The comments submitted to USCIS via this 
method are visible to the Office of Management and Budget and comply 
with the requirements of 5 CFR 1320.12(c). 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. 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 http://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 Request: Extension, Without 
Change, of a Currently Approved Collection.
    (2) Title of the Form/Collection: Application for Waiver of the 
Foreign Residence Requirement of Section 212(e) of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act.
    (3) Agency form number, if any, and the applicable component of the 
DHS sponsoring the collection: I-612; USCIS.
    (4) Affected public who will be asked or required to respond, as 
well as a brief abstract: Primary: Primary: Individuals or households. 
This information collection is necessary and may be submitted only by 
an alien who believes that compliance with foreign residence 
requirements would impose exceptional hardship on his or her spouse or 
child who is a citizen of the United States, or a lawful permanent 
resident; or that returning to the country of his or her nationality or 
last permanent residence would subject him or her to persecution on 
account of race, religion, or political opinion. Certain aliens 
admitted to the United States as exchange visitors are subject to the 
foreign residence requirements of section 212(e) of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act (the Act). Section 212(e) of the Act also provides for 
a waiver of the foreign residence requirements in certain instances.
    (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-612 is 
7,200 and the estimated hour burden per response is .333 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 2,398 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 $882,000.

    Dated: December 18, 2020.
Samantha L Deshommes,
Chief, Regulatory Coordination Division, Office of Policy and Strategy, 
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of Homeland 
Security.
[FR Doc. 2020-28423 Filed 12-22-20; 8:45 am]
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