55206 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 183 / Thursday, September 21, 2006 / Notices 

The duration of the test is now being 

further extended so that CBP can 

continue to evaluate the program’s 

effectiveness. Prospective applicants 

may consult the July 24,1998 and 

December 21, 2001, Federal Register 

notices for a more detailed discussion of 

the quota preprocessing program and 

the September 9, 2002, Federal Register 

notice for eligibility criteria. All 

requirements and aspects of the quota 

preprocessing test, as set forth in these 

notices, continue to apply. 

Dated: September 18, 2006. 

Jayson P. Ahern, 

Assistant Commissioner, Office of Field 

Operations. 

[FR Doc. 06–7882 Filed 9–20–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 9111–14–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND 

SECURITY 

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration 

Services 

[USCIS No. 2391–06; DHS Docket No. 

USCIS–2006–0026] 

RIN 1615–ZA37 

Expanding Pilot Program Affecting the 

Filing Procedures for Certain Form I–

485 Applicants Residing Within the 

Jurisdiction of the Dallas, El Paso, or 

Oklahoma City Offices 

AGENCY: U.S. Citizenship and 

Immigration Services, DHS. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: This Notice expands a pilot 

program being conducted by U.S. 

Citizenship and Immigration Services 

that changes the procedures for certain 

aliens filing Form I–485, ‘‘Application 

to Register Permanent Residence or 

Adjust Status,’’ based on a family 

relationship, the diversity visa lottery, 

or qualification for most special 

immigrant categories. Under the 

expanded pilot program, affected aliens 

residing within the jurisdiction of the 

Dallas District Office, El Paso District 

Office, or Oklahoma City Sub-Office 

will be required to file Form I–485 and 

any necessary documentation and fees 

in person at the appropriate local office, 

rather than by mail, after self-scheduling 

an appointment using Internet-based 

InfoPass. This pilot program tests an 

alternative to current filing and 

processing procedures with the goal of 

achieving a 90-day processing time for 

affected Forms I–485. 

DATES: As applied to the Dallas District 

Office, this Notice is effective October 

23, 2006 and will terminate on 

September 21, 2007. As applied to the 

El Paso District Office and Oklahoma 

City Sub-Office, this Notice is effective 

November 20, 2006 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 

A. General Filing Requirements 

To apply for lawful permanent 

resident (LPR) status, aliens residing 

within the United States must file Form 

I–485, ‘‘Application to Register 

Permanent Residence or Adjust Status,’’

along with any required documentation 

establishing eligibility, at a U.S. 

Citizenship and Immigration Services 

(USCIS) Service Center or USCIS’

Chicago Lockbox Facility. Currently, 

applicants must file Form I–485 by mail. 

The filing location is specified in the 

instructions to Form I–485 and on the 

USCIS Web site, http://www.uscis.gov, 

and depends on the immigrant 

classification on which the Form I–485 

is based and the alien’s residence. For 

example, an alien whose Form I–485 is 

based on his or her marriage to a U.S. 

citizen and who resides in the State of 

Colorado must file Form I–485, with a 

concurrently filed Form I–130, ‘‘Petition 

for Alien Relative,’’ or evidence that 

such Form I–130 has already been 

approved (typically in the form of a 

Form I–797, ‘‘Notice of Action,’’ issued 

by USCIS), supporting documentation, 

and required fees to USCIS’ Chicago 

Lockbox Facility. See Direct Mail 

Instructions for Form I–485. 

After mailing-in the Form I–485 

application package, the applicant will 

receive an appointment notice from 

USCIS to appear at one of USCIS’

Application Support Centers (ASCs) for 

biometrics capture, which involves 

electronically taking the applicant’s 

photograph, fingerprints, and signature. 

USCIS uses this information to conduct 

background checks and produce a 

secure, biometric Permanent Resident 

Card (Form I–551) in the event of 

application approval. For those 

immigrant categories requiring a 

personal interview, the applicant (and 

petitioner, if applicable) also will 

receive an appointment notice to appear 

at the local USCIS office for a personal 

interview. See, e.g., 8 CFR 245.6 

(interviews are required for adjustment 

applicants but may be waived for 

children under the age of 14, when the 

applicant is clearly ineligible for 

adjustment of status, or when deemed 

unnecessary by USCIS). Once 

adjudication is completed, USCIS will 

mail the applicant a written decision. 8 

CFR 103.2(b)(19). 

B. Dallas Pilot Program 

USCIS is continually striving to 

improve the efficiency of the processing 

of Forms I–485 to reduce processing 

times and prevent backlogs. By statute, 

USCIS has the authority to ‘‘implement 

innovative pilot initiatives’’ to eliminate 

current and prevent future backlogs in 

the processing of immigration benefits. 

See 6 U.S.C. 271(a)(5). Based on this 

statutory authority, USCIS launched a 

pilot program in May 2004 to test an 

alternative to current filing procedures 

for certain Form I–485 applicants to 

achieve a 90-day processing time. See 

http://uscis.gov/graphics/fieldoffices/ 

dallas/Pilot_overview.htm. The pilot 

program, called the ‘‘Dallas Office Rapid 

Adjudication’’ pilot program, has been 

limited to the Dallas District Office and 

is a voluntary pilot program. Id. 

1. Pilot Program Eligibility 

Requirements 

To be eligible to participate in the 

pilot program, the applicant must be 

filing Form I–485 based upon: 

(1) A family relationship (e.g., spouse, 

parent, child, sibling) demonstrated by 

an approved or concurrently filed Form 

I–130 with an ‘‘immediately-available’’

immigrant visa as explained in the 

instructions to Form I–130 (see 8 CFR 

204.1(a)(1)); 

(2) The diversity visa lottery (see 

Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) 

sec. 203(c); 8 U.S.C. 1153(c); 8 CFR 

245.1(a)); 

(3) Qualification as a battered or 

abused spouse or child (see 8 CFR 

204.2(c)) demonstrated by an approved 

Form I–360, ‘‘Petition for Amerasian, 

Widow(er), or Special Immigrant;’’ or 

(4) Qualification as a Special 

Immigrant, as set forth at section 

101(a)(27) of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 

1101(a)(27), demonstrated by an 

approved or concurrently filed Form 

I–360, excluding special immigrants 

who are religious workers. 

2. Pilot Program Filing Procedures 

Prior to the Dallas pilot program, an 

applicant falling within one of these 

categories would have had to file his or 

her Form I–485 package by mailing it to 

the Chicago Lockbox Facility in 

accordance with the Direct Mail 

Instructions for Form I–485. Instead, 

under the filing requirements of the 

Dallas pilot program, eligible applicants 

now may file their Form I–485, together 

with any petition being concurrently 


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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 183 / Thursday, September 21, 2006 / Notices 55207 

filed (i.e., Form I–130 or Form I–360) or 

proof of petition approval, supporting 

documentation, and applicable filing 

and biometric capture fees, in person at 

the Dallas District Office. To file inperson, eligible applicants first must 

schedule an appointment electronically 

using ‘‘InfoPass.’’ InfoPass is a USCIS 

Internet-based system for scheduling 

appointments found on USCIS’ Web site 

at http://infopass.uscis.gov/. It may be 

accessed from any computer with 

Internet access. For those applicants 

who do not have Internet access, USCIS 

offers InfoPass at kiosks located at its 

local offices. 

If the application package is complete 

at the time of filing, a USCIS officer will 

conduct any required interview on that 

same day. Participants thereafter will 

receive an appointment notice for 

biometrics capture at a local ASC. Once 

all required background checks are 

completed and any derogatory 

information is resolved, a USCIS officer 

will complete adjudication of the Form 

I–485 and any concurrently filed 

petitions. If the application package is 

not complete, the USCIS officer will not 

accept the application package. 

While USCIS believes that the Dallas 

pilot program has been successful, 

USCIS has determined that the pilot 

program should undergo some changes 

so that USCIS can better gauge the 

effectiveness of the alternative filing and 

processing procedures that form the 

basis of the pilot program. USCIS is 

issuing this Notice to announce these 

changes to the pilot program. 

II. Changes to the Pilot Program 

USCIS is changing the Dallas pilot 

program by: (1) Adding two additional 

USCIS offices that will conduct the pilot 

program; (2) making the filing 

procedures mandatory for those 

individuals who meet the current 

eligibility requirements for pilot 

program participation and reside within 

the jurisdictions conducting the pilot 

program; and (3) modifying the 

processing procedures for incomplete 

application packages presented at 

InfoPass appointments. These changes 

are discussed below. This Notice does 

not change the eligibility requirements 

or filing procedures established by the 

Dallas pilot program discussed above. 

Because USCIS is increasing the 

number of participating USCIS offices, 

USCIS is naming the pilot program, 

‘‘District Office Rapid Adjudication’’

(DORA). USCIS has referred to the 

Dallas pilot program as ‘‘DORA,’’ an 

acronym for ‘‘Dallas Office Rapid 

Adjudication.’’ USCIS is using the same 

acronym to refer to the expanded pilot 

program, ‘‘District Office Rapid 

Adjudication.’’ At the end of an initial 

180-day period, USCIS will evaluate the 

results of the DORA pilot program and 

determine whether it should be 

extended past the termination date 

specified in this Notice, September 21, 

2007. 

A. Pilot Program Locations 

This Notice is increasing the number 

of locations that will conduct the pilot 

program from one USCIS office to the 

following three USCIS offices: 

• Dallas District Office (current); 

• El Paso District Office (new); and 

• Oklahoma City Sub-Office (new). 

Therefore, only eligible applicants 

who currently reside within the 

jurisdiction of the Dallas District Office, 

El Paso District Office, or the Oklahoma 

City Sub-Office are subject to the 

requirements of the pilot program. See 

8 CFR 245.2(a)(1) (stating that aliens 

must apply to the director having 

jurisdiction over his or her place of 

residence, unless otherwise provided for 

in the regulations or instructions to the 

application form). 

B. Mandatory Participation 

Under this Notice, USCIS is requiring 

all Form I–485 applicants who meet the 

pilot program’s eligibility requirements 

and who reside within the jurisdiction 

of one of the three USCIS offices 

conducting the pilot program to follow 

the pilot program’s filing procedures 

during the period that the pilot program 

is in effect. 

Currently, because the pilot program 

is voluntary, and eligible Form I–485 

applicants may choose to file their 

application package by mail in 

accordance with normal filing 

procedures rather than participate in the 

pilot program, USCIS cannot fairly 

judge the effectiveness of the pilot 

program or the associated costs of the 

program. Full participation by eligible 

applicants will allow for a valid 

evaluation of the pilot program and 

comparison of the pilot program with 

the current Direct Mail process used in 

all other offices. See 69 FR 67751 (Nov. 

19, 2004) (Direct Mail process for Forms 

I–485, I–765, and I–131). 

Once the pilot program terminates, 

applicants must return to following the 

Direct Mail process for filing their Form 

I–485 application packages as specified 

in the instructions to the Form I–485. 

The filing procedures under the 

DORA pilot program will be specified in 

the addendum that accompanies the 

Form I–485 when the Form I–485 is 

distributed by the Forms Center. It also 

will be available with the electronic 

version of the Form I–485 for applicants 

who obtain a copy of the form from the 

USCIS Web site. This addendum has 

been revised in conjunction with this 

Notice. USCIS also will provide 

additional guidance for individuals 

residing within the jurisdictions of the 

Dallas, El Paso, or Oklahoma City offices 

who are affected by this Notice via its 

Web site at http://www.uscis.gov. In 

addition, USCIS will change the Web 

pages for the Dallas, El Paso, and 

Oklahoma City offices, accessible from 

http://www.uscis.gov, to reflect the 

filing procedures under the DORA pilot 

program. 

This Notice does not affect Form I–

485 applicants who do not reside within 

the jurisdictions conducting the pilot 

program. Such applicants must continue 

to file their Form I–485 application 

packages in accordance with current 

filing instructions for Form I–485. This 

Notice also does not affect existing filing 

procedures for applicants in the districts 

that are conducting the pilot program, 

but who are seeking employment-based 

LPR status. The eligibility and filing 

requirements for all applications and 

petitions, including Form I–485, Form 

I–130, and Form 360, are available on 

the USCIS Web site at http:// 

www.uscis.gov. 

C. Processing Procedures 

1. Incomplete Application Packages 

USCIS is changing the procedures 

followed by USCIS officers in the 

processing of Forms I–485 application 

packages that are incomplete. Under 

this Notice, if the applicant attempts to 

file an application package that is not 

complete at his or her InfoPass 

appointment, the USCIS officer may 

propose to the applicant that the officer 

intends to reject the package based on 

missing information or evidence 

identified by the officer in writing. 

Nevertheless, the USCIS officer will 

accept the application package for filing 

if the applicant insists on submitting the 

application package despite the noted 

deficiencies and risk of denial. 

2. Pilot Program Applicants Seeking 

Employment Authorization or Advance 

Parole 

USCIS notes that, at the time of the 

InfoPass appointment, a participating 

pilot program office may, in its 

discretion, accept a Form I–765, 

‘‘Application for Employment 

Authorization,’’ and a Form I–131, 

‘‘Application for Travel Document,’’

along with the appropriate fees and 

supporting documentation, with the 

Form I–485 package. If either Form I–

765 or Form I–131 is not complete, or 

the applicant chooses to submit the 

forms at a later date, the applicant must 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
55208 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 183 / Thursday, September 21, 2006 / Notices 

file the forms, accompanied by the 

appropriate filing fees, with the USCIS 

office specified in the instructions to 

those forms. Currently, such 

applications must be mailed to the 

Chicago Lockbox Facility. This Notice 

does not alter the filing and processing 

procedures for such applications. 

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. USCIS 

acknowledges that this Notice will 

increase the burden for those applicants 

in the Dallas, El Paso, and Oklahoma 

City offices, by requiring that they first 

schedule an appointment electronically 

before submitting the completed Form 

I–485 in person at the appropriate 

office. 

Since travel and interview time are 

already included in the instructions to 

the Form I–485, the only additional 

burden on the public will be scheduling 

an appointment electronically prior to 

submitting the application in person at 

the appropriate office. It is estimated 

that approximately 60% (5,517) of the 

affected applicants have a computer 

with direct access to the internet. For 

those applicants with direct computer 

access to the Internet, it is estimated 

that it will take approximately 10 

minutes to schedule an appointment 

with USCIS. For the other 40% (3,677) 

of the applicants who will need direct 

Internet access through friends, private 

businesses, local schools, libraries, or 

USCIS kiosks, it is estimated it will take 

approximately one hour to schedule an 

appointment. 

Accordingly, USCIS will adjust the 

burden hours associated with filing the 

Form I–485 using the OMB’s electronic 

system (ROCIS) to reflect the increase in 

the burden hours on the public. 

Dated: September 15, 2006. 

Emilio T. Gonzalez, 

Director, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration 

Services. 

[FR Doc. 06–7791 Filed 9–20–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4410–10–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND 

URBAN DEVELOPMENT 

[Docket No. FR–5037–N–65] 

Notice of Submission of Proposed 

Information Collection to OMB; 

Emergency Comment Request; 

Section 32 and Section 5(h) 

Homeownership Program Evaluation 

Interview Guides 

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant 

Secretary for Public and Indian 

Housing, HUD. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed information 

collection. 

SUMMARY: The proposed information 

collection requirement described below 

has been submitted to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for 

emergency review and approval, as 

required by the Paperwork Reduction 

Act. The Department is soliciting public 

comments on the subject proposal. 

DATES: Comments Due Date: October 5, 

2006. 

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are 

invited to submit comments regarding 

this proposal. Comments must be 

received within ten (10) days from the 

date of this Notice. Comments should 

refer to the proposal by name and 

should be sent to: HUD Desk Officer, 

Office of Management and Regulatory 

Affairs, Office of Management and 

Budget, New Executive Office Building, 

Washington, DC 20503. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Lillian Deitzer, Departmental Reports 

Management Officer, QDAM 

Department of Housing and Urban 

Development, 451 Seventh Street, SW., 

Washington, DC 20410; e-mail 

Lillian_Deitzer@hud.gov, telephone 

(202) 708–2374. This is not a toll-free 

number. Copies of documentation 

submitted to OMB may be obtained 

from Ms. Deitzer. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

Notice informs the public that the U.S. 

Department of Housing and Urban 

Development (HUD) has submitted to 

OMB, for emergency processing, a 

proposed information collection 

requirement as described below. This 

Notice is soliciting comments from 

members of the public and affecting 

agencies concerning the proposed 

collection of information to: (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; (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 collection 

techniques or other forms of information 

technology, e.g., permitting electronic 

submission of responses. 

This Notice Also Lists the Following 

Information 

Title of Proposal: Section 32 and 

Section 5(h) Homeownership Program 

Evaluation Interview Guides. 

Description of Information Collection: 

Increasing low-income homeownership 

opportunities is an important part of 

HUD’s mission. Empirical research on 

program characteristics and outcomes 

will provide an understanding of what 

factors drive program success and the 

impact of public policy. The Office of 

Public and Indian Housing (PIH) seeks 

a full evaluation of its Section 32 and 

Section 5(h) Public Housing 

Homeownership programs. The 

effectiveness of these programs has 

direct bearing on the Department’s 

performance of it mission to increase 

homeownership opportunities. To date, 

there has been no broad assessment of 

the various Section 32 and Section 5(h) 

program models or program activities. 

Case studies and interviews will be 

conducted among Public Housing 

Authority Executives and program 

administrators. Where appropriate, 

interviews will be conducted with 

community partners. Currently there is 

no database with information on 

program models or program activities. 

These evaluation activities are 

consistent with the directives of the 

Office of Management and Budget’s 

Program Assessment Ranking system 

and the mandate of the Government 

Performance and Results Act of 1993 

(GPRA). 

OMB Control Number: 2577—

(Pending). 

Agency Form Numbers: None. 

Members of Affected Public: State, 

Local or Tribal Government, Individuals 

or households. 

Estimation of the total numbers of 

hours needed to prepare the information 

collection including number of 

respondents, frequency of responses, 

and hours of response: The estimated 

number of respondents is 590 per year. 

The estimated number of hours needed 

per respondent is 1.13 hours. The total 

public burden is estimated to be 520 

hours per year. 

Status: New Collection. 

Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act 

of 1995, 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended. 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES