[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 40 (Wednesday, February 28, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14674-14676]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-04114]


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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: 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 March 29, 
2024.

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-2023-0004. 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.

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 http://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, Online Request 
to be a Supporter and Declaration of Financial Support, 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 Form I-134 
(OMB Control Number 1615-0014), and has been used in connection with 
Uniting for Ukraine; the parole processes for certain Cubans,\1\ 
Haitians,\2\

[[Page 14675]]

Nicaraguans,\3\ and Venezuelans; \4\ family reunification parole 
processes for certain Colombians,\5\ Salvadorans,\6\ Guatemalans,\7\ 
Hondurans,\8\ and Ecuadorians; \9\ and procedural changes to the 
previously established Cuban \10\ and Haitian \11\ Family Reunification 
Parole processes. The emergency processing activities associated with 
implementing these parole 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 78762 (Nov. 16, 2023).
    \10\ 88 FR 54639 (Aug. 11, 2023).
    \11\ 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:
    <bullet> Have a confirmed supporter in the United States;
    <bullet> Undergo and clear robust security vetting;
    <bullet> Demonstrate that a grant of parole is warranted based on 
urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit;
    <bullet> Meet other eligibility criteria; and
    <bullet> Demonstrate that they warrant a favorable exercise of 
discretion.
    Beneficiaries 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. Potential supporters file a Form I-134A for each potential 
beneficiary, including, if applicable, immediate family members of the 
principal beneficiary, with USCIS through the USCIS online web portal 
to initiate the parole process. Form I-134A identifies and collects 
information on both the supporter and the beneficiary. The potential 
supporter must submit evidence establishing their income and assets and 
commit to provide financial support to the beneficiary for the duration 
of parole. A potential supporter filing Form I-134A 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 potential supporter and 
verify their financial information to ensure that the potential 
supporter is able to financially support the beneficiary. If the 
potential supporter's Form I-134A is confirmed, the beneficiary named 
in the Form I-134A will receive an email from 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 relevant parole processes.

Comments

    The information collection notice was previously published in the 
Federal Register on September 12, 2023, at 88 FR 175, allowing for a 
60-day public comment period. USCIS did receive two 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-
2023-0004 in the search box. Comments must be submitted in English, or 
an English translation must be provided. 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: 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 
1,205,600 and the estimated hour burden per response is 2.11 hours.

[[Page 14676]]

    (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 $2,543,816 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.

    Dated: February 22, 2024.
Samantha L. Deshommes,
Chief, Regulatory Coordination Division, Office of Policy and Strategy, 
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of Homeland 
Security.
[FR Doc. 2024-04114 Filed 2-27-24; 8:45 am]
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