Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 217 / Friday, November 8, 2024 / Notices 88799 

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND 

SECURITY 

Federal Emergency Management 

Agency 

[Docket ID: FEMA–2024–0020; OMB No. 

1660–0039] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Submission for OMB 

Review, Comment Request; National 

Fire Academy Long-Term Evaluation 

Form for Supervisors and National Fire 

Academy Long-Term Evaluation Form 

for Students/Trainees 

AGENCY: Federal Emergency 

Management Agency, Department of 

Homeland Security. 

ACTION: 30-Day notice of extension and 

request for comments. 

SUMMARY: The Federal Emergency 

Management Agency (FEMA) will 

submit the information collection 

abstracted below to the Office of 

Management and Budget for review and 

clearance in accordance with the 

requirements of the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995. FEMA invites 

the general public to take this 

opportunity to comment on an 

extension, without change, of a 

currently approved information 

collection. In accordance with the 

requirements of the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995, this notice seeks 

comments concerning the long-term 

evaluation forms used to evaluate all 

National Fire Academy training. 

DATES: Comments must be submitted on 

or before December 9, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments and 

recommendations for the proposed 

information collection should be sent 

within 30 days of publication of this 

notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/ 

PRAMain. Find this particular 

information collection by selecting 

‘‘Currently under 30-day Review—Open 

for Public Comments’’ or by using the 

search function. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Requests for additional information or 

copies of the information collection 

should be made to Director, Information 

Management Division, 500 C Street SW, 

Washington, DC 20472, email address 

FEMA-Information-CollectionsManagement@fema.dhs.gov or Dawn 

Long, Statistician, Federal Emergency 

Management Agency, United State Fire 

Administration, National Fire Academy, 

(301) 447–1488, and dawn.long@

fema.dhs.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

National Fire Academy is mandated 

under the Fire Prevention and Control 

Act of 1974 (Pub. L. 93–498) to provide 

training and education to the Nation’s 

fire service and emergency service 

personnel. The state of-the-art programs 

offered by the National Fire Academy 

serve as models of excellence and State 

and local fire service agencies rely 

heavily on the curriculum to train their 

personnel. To maintain the quality of 

these training programs, it is critical that 

courses be evaluated after students have 

had the opportunity to apply the 

knowledge and skills gained from their 

training. Information collected from the 

evaluation forms enables the U.S. Fire 

Administration and National Fire 

Academy staff to monitor and 

recommend changes in course materials, 

individual subject selection criteria, and 

to make curriculum-wide reviews and 

assessments. 

This proposed information collection 

previously published in the Federal 

Register on July 22, 2024, at 89 FR 

59128 with a 60-day public comment 

period. FEMA received zero public 

comments. The purpose of this notice is 

to notify the public that FEMA will 

submit the information collection 

abstracted below to the Office of 

Management and Budget for review and 

clearance. 

Collection of Information 

Title: National Fire Academy LongTerm Evaluation Form for Supervisors 

and National Fire Academy Long-Term 

Evaluation Form for Students/Trainees. 

Type of Information Collection: 

Extension, without change, of a 

currently approved information 

collection. 

OMB Number: 1660–0039. 

FEMA Forms: FEMA Form FF–USFA– 

FY–22–118 (formerly 078–0–2), 

National Fire Academy Long-Term 

Evaluation Form for Supervisors; FF– 

USFA–FY–22–119 (formerly 078–0–2A), 

National Fire Academy Long-Term 

Evaluation Form for Students/Trainees. 

Abstract: The National Fire Academy 

Long-Term Evaluation Forms will be 

used to evaluate all National Fire 

Academy on-campus resident training 

courses. Course graduates and their 

supervisors will be asked to evaluate the 

impact of the training on both 

individual job performance and the 

performance of the fire and emergency 

response department where the student 

works. The data provided by students 

and supervisors is used to update 

existing National Fire Academy course 

materials and to develop new courses 

that reflect the emerging issues and 

needs of the Nation’s fire service. 

Affected Public: State, Local or Tribal 

Government. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

3,000. 

Estimated Number of Responses: 

3,000. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 405 hours. 

Estimated Total Annual Respondent 

Cost: $21,962. 

Estimated Respondents’ Operation 

and Maintenance Costs: $0. 

Estimated Respondents’ Capital and 

Start-Up Costs: $0. 

Estimated Total Annual Cost to the 

Federal Government: $64,452. 

Comments 

Comments may be submitted as 

indicated in the ADDRESSES caption 

above. Comments are solicited to (a) 

evaluate whether the proposed data 

collection is necessary for the proper 

performance of the Agency, including 

whether the information shall have 

practical utility; (b) 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; 

(c) enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and (d) 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. 

Millicent Brown Wilson, 

Records Management Branch Chief, Office 

of the Chief Administrative Officer, Mission 

Support, Federal Emergency Management 

Agency, Department of Homeland Security. 

[FR Doc. 2024–26063 Filed 11–7–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 9111–45–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND 

SECURITY 

[Docket No. DHS–2011–0108] 

RIN 1601–ZA11 

Identification of Foreign Countries 

Whose Nationals Are Eligible To 

Participate in the H–2A and H–2B 

Nonimmigrant Worker Programs 

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, DHS. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: Under Department of 

Homeland Security (DHS) regulations, 

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration 

Services (USCIS) may generally only 

approve petitions for H–2A and H–2B 

nonimmigrant status for nationals of 

countries that the Secretary of 


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88800 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 217 / Friday, November 8, 2024 / Notices 

1With respect to all references to ‘‘country’’ or 

‘‘countries’’ in this document, it should be noted 

that the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, Public Law 

96–8, Section 4(b)(1), provides that ‘‘[w]henever the 

laws of the United States refer or relate to foreign 

countries, nations, states, governments, or similar 

entities, such terms shall include and such laws 

shall apply with respect to Taiwan.’’ 22 U.S.C. 

3303(b)(1). Accordingly, all references to ‘‘country’’ 

or ‘‘countries’’ in the regulations governing whether 

nationals of a country are eligible for H–2 program 

participation, 8 CFR 214.2(h)(5)(i)(F)(1)(i) and 8 

CFR 214.2(h)(6)(i)(E)(1), are read to include Taiwan. 

This is consistent with the United States’ one-China 

policy, under which the United States has 

maintained unofficial relations with Taiwan since 

1979. 

2 DHS published a Notice of Proposed 

Rulemaking (NPRM) in the Federal Register that 

proposes to eliminate the requirement to designate 

countries whose nationals are eligible to participate 

in the H–2A and H–2B programs from DHS 

regulations. 88 FR 65040 (Sep. 20, 2023). The rule 

is in a proposal stage and does not impact the 

designation of eligible countries contained in this 

notice. The regulations requiring the designation of 

countries whose nationals are eligible to participate 

in the H–2 programs remain in effect until such 

time as DHS publishes any final rule amending 

such regulations and such final rule goes into effect, 

if applicable. 

3An overstay is a nonimmigrant lawfully 

admitted to the United States for an authorized 

period, but who remained in the United States 

beyond his or her authorized period of admission. 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) 

identifies two types of overstays: (1) individuals for 

whom no departure was recorded (Suspected InCountry Overstays), and (2) individuals whose 

departure was recorded after their authorized 

period of admission expired (Out-of-Country 

Overstays). For purposes of this Federal Register 

Notice, DHS uses Fiscal Year 2023 CBP 

nonimmigrant overstay data for the H–2A and H– 

2B nonimmigrant visa categories and the Fiscal 

Year 2023 Entry/Exit Overstay Report for all other 

visa categories. 

Homeland Security, with the 

concurrence of the Secretary of State, 

has designated by notice published in 

the Federal Register. Each such notice 

shall be effective for one year after its 

date of publication. This notice 

announces that the Secretary of 

Homeland Security, in consultation 

with the Secretary of State, is 

identifying 88 countries whose 

nationals are eligible to participate in 

the H–2A program and 89 countries 

whose nationals are eligible to 

participate in the H–2B program for the 

coming year. 

DATES: The designations in this notice 

are effective from November 7, 2024 and 

shall be without effect on November 8, 

2025. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Patrice Francis, Office of Strategy, 

Policy, and Plans, Department of 

Homeland Security, Washington, DC 

20528, (202) 282–9708. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Generally, USCIS may approve H–2A 

and H–2B petitions for nationals of only 

those countries that the Secretary of 

Homeland Security, with the 

concurrence of the Secretary of State, 

has designated as participating 

countries.1 Such designation must be 

published as a notice in the Federal 

Register and expires after one year. In 

designating countries to include on the 

lists, the Secretary of Homeland 

Security, with the concurrence of the 

Secretary of State, will take into account 

factors including, but not limited to: (1) 

the country’s cooperation with respect 

to issuance of travel documents for 

citizens, subjects, nationals, and 

residents of that country who are subject 

to a final order of removal; (2) the 

number of final and unexecuted orders 

of removal against citizens, subjects, 

nationals, and residents of that country; 

(3) the number of orders of removal 

executed against citizens, subjects, 

nationals, and residents of that country; 

and (4) such other factors as may serve 

the U.S. interest. See 8 CFR 

214.2(h)(5)(i)(F)(1)(i) and 8 CFR 

214.2(h)(6)(i)(E)(1).2 Examples of 

specific factors serving the U.S. interest 

that are taken into account when 

considering whether to designate or 

terminate the designation of a country 

include, but are not limited to: fraud 

(e.g., fraud in the H–2 petition or visa 

application process by nationals of the 

country, the country’s level of 

cooperation with the U.S. government 

in addressing H–2 associated visa fraud, 

and the country’s level of information 

sharing to combat immigration-related 

fraud), nonimmigrant visa overstay 3

rates for nationals of the country 

(including but not limited to H–2A and 

H–2B nonimmigrant visa overstay rates), 

and non-compliance with the terms and 

conditions of the H–2 visa programs by 

nationals of the country. 

As previously indicated, see 88 FR 

77343, in evaluating the U.S. interest, 

the Secretary of Homeland Security, 

with the concurrence of the Secretary of 

State, will generally ascribe a negative 

weight to evidence that a country had a 

suspected in-country visa overstay rate 

of 10 percent or higher with a number 

of expected departures of 50 individuals 

or higher in either the H–2A or H–2B 

classification according to U.S. Customs 

and Border Protection overstay data, 

and generally, with the concurrence of 

the Secretary of State, will terminate 

designation of that country from the H– 

2A or H–2B nonimmigrant visa 

program, as appropriate, unless, after 

consideration of other relevant factors, it 

is determined not to be in the U.S. 

interest to do so. 

Similarly, DHS recognizes that 

countries designated under longstanding practice by U.S. Immigration 

and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as ‘‘At 

Risk of Non-Compliance’’ or 

‘‘Uncooperative’’ with removals based 

on ICE data put the integrity of the 

immigration system and the American 

people at risk. Therefore, unless other 

favorable factors in the U.S. interest 

outweigh such designations by ICE, the 

Secretary of Homeland Security, with 

the concurrence of the Secretary of 

State, generally will terminate 

designation of such countries from the 

H–2A and H–2B nonimmigrant visa 

programs. Because there are separate 

lists for the H–2A and H–2B categories, 

it is possible that, in applying the abovedescribed regulatory criteria for listing 

countries, a country may appear on one 

list but not on the other. 

Even where the Secretary of 

Homeland Security has determined to 

terminate or decided not to designate a 

country, DHS, through USCIS, may 

allow, on a case-by-case basis, a national 

from a country that is not on the list to 

be named as a beneficiary of an H–2A 

or H–2B petition based on a 

determination that it is in the U.S. 

interest, in the totality of the 

circumstances, for that individual 

noncitizen to be a beneficiary of an H– 

2 petition. Determination of such U.S. 

interest will take into account factors, 

including but not limited to: (1) 

evidence from the petitioner 

demonstrating that a worker with the 

required skills is not available either 

from among U.S. workers or from among 

foreign workers from a country 

currently on the list described in 8 CFR 

214.2(h)(5)(i)(F)(1)(i) (H–2A 

nonimmigrants) or 214.2(h)(6)(1)(E)(1) 

(H–2B nonimmigrants), as applicable; 

(2) evidence that the beneficiary has 

been admitted to the United States 

previously in H–2A or H–2B status; (3) 

the potential for abuse, fraud, or other 

harm to the integrity of the H–2A or H– 

2B visa program through the potential 

admission of a beneficiary from a 

country not currently on the list; and (4) 

such other factors as may serve the U.S. 

interest. See 8 CFR 

214.2(h)(5)(i)(F)(1)(ii) and 8 CFR 

214.2(h)(6)(i)(E)(2). An additional factor 

for beneficiaries of H–2B petitions, 

although not necessarily determinative, 

would be whether the H–2B petition 

qualifies under section 1049 of the 

National Defense Authorization Act 

(NDAA) for FY 2018, Public Law 115– 

91, section 1045 of the NDAA for FY 

2019, Public Law 115–232, section 9502 

of the NDAA for FY 2021, Public Law 

116–283, or section 5901 of the NDAA 

for FY 2023, Public Law 117–263. The 

FY 2024 NDAA, which took effect on 


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4 83 FR 2646, 2647 (Jan. 18, 2018). 

5 Id. 

6U.S. Department of State Office to Monitor and 

Combat Trafficking in Persons, ‘‘2024 Trafficking in 

Persons Report,’’ June 2024, https://www.state.gov/ 

reports/2024-trafficking-in-persons-report. 

December 22, 2023, extended the 

current exemption from the temporary 

need requirement for an additional 5 

years, through the end of the day on 

December 30, 2029. See FY 2024 NDAA, 

Public Law 118–31 section 1807. 

In December 2008, DHS published the 

first lists of eligible countries for the H– 

2A and H–2B Visa Programs in the 

Federal Register. These notices, 

‘‘Identification of Foreign Countries 

Whose Nationals Are Eligible To 

Participate in the H–2A Visa Program,’’ 

and ‘‘Identification of Foreign Countries 

Whose Nationals Are Eligible To 

Participate in the H–2B Visa Program,’’ 

designated 28 countries whose nationals 

were eligible to participate in the H–2A 

and H–2B programs. See 73 FR 77043 

(Dec. 18, 2008); 73 FR 77729 (Dec. 19, 

2008). The notices ceased to have effect 

on January 17, 2009, and January 18, 

2009, respectively. Since the 

publication of the first lists in 2008, 

with the concurrence of the Secretary of 

State, DHS has published a series of 

notices on a regular basis. See 75 FR 

2879 (Jan. 19, 2010) (adding 11 

countries to both programs); 76 FR 2915 

(Jan. 18, 2011) (removing one country 

from and adding 15 countries to both 

programs); 77 FR 2558 (Jan. 18, 2012) 

(adding five countries to both 

programs); 78 FR 4154 (Jan. 18, 2013) 

(adding one country to both programs); 

79 FR 3214 (Jan. 17, 2014) (adding four 

countries to both programs); 79 FR 

74735 (Dec. 16, 2014) (adding five 

countries to both programs); 80 FR 

72079 (Nov. 18, 2015) (removing one 

country from the H–2B program and 

adding 16 countries to both programs); 

81 FR 74468 (Oct. 26, 2016) (adding one 

country to both programs); 83 FR 2646 

(Jan. 18, 2018) (removing three countries 

from and adding one country to both 

programs); 84 FR 133 (Jan. 18, 2019) 

(removing two countries from and 

adding 2 countries to both programs, 

removing one country from only the H– 

2B program, and adding one country to 

only the H–2A program); 85 FR 3067 

(January 17, 2020) (leaving the lists 

unchanged); 86 FR 2689 (Jan. 13, 2021) 

(removing two countries from both 

programs, removing one country from 

only the H–2A program, and adding one 

country to only the H–2B program); 86 

FR 62559 (Nov. 10, 2021) (removing one 

country from only the H–2A program, 

adding one country to only the H–2B 

program, and separately adding five 

countries to both programs); 87 FR 

67930 (Nov. 10, 2022) (adding one 

country to both programs); and 88 FR 

77343 (Nov. 9, 2023) (adding one 

country to both programs). 

Determination of Countries With 

Continued Eligibility 

The Secretary of Homeland Security 

has determined, with the concurrence of 

the Secretary of State, that the 87 

countries previously designated to 

participate in the H–2A program in the 

November 9, 2023 notice continue to 

meet the regulatory standards for 

eligible countries and therefore should 

remain designated as countries whose 

nationals are eligible to participate in 

the H–2A program. Additionally, the 

Secretary of Homeland Security has 

determined, with the concurrence of the 

Secretary of State, that the 88 countries 

previously designated to participate in 

the H–2B program in the November 9, 

2023 notice continue to meet the 

regulatory standards for eligible 

countries and therefore should remain 

designated as countries whose nationals 

are eligible to participate in the H–2B 

program. These determinations take into 

account how the regulatory factors 

identified above apply to each of these 

countries. 

Consistent with the previous notices, 

nationals of non-designated countries 

may still be beneficiaries of approved 

H–2A and H–2B petitions upon the 

request of the petitioner if USCIS 

determines, as a matter of discretion and 

on a case-by-case basis, that it is in the 

U.S. interest for the individual to be a 

beneficiary of such petition. See 8 CFR 

214.2(h)(5)(i)(F)(1)(ii) and 8 CFR 

214.2(h)(6)(i)(E)(2). USCIS may 

favorably consider a beneficiary of an 

H–2A or H–2B petition who is not a 

national of a country included on the 

H–2A or H–2B eligibility lists as serving 

the national interest, depending on the 

totality of the circumstances. Factors 

USCIS may consider include, among 

other things, whether a beneficiary has 

previously been admitted to the United 

States in H–2A or H–2B status and 

complied with the terms of the program. 

An additional factor for beneficiaries of 

H–2B petitions, although not necessarily 

determinative, would be whether the H– 

2B petition qualifies under section 1049 

of the National Defense Authorization 

Act (NDAA) for FY 2018, Public Law 

115–91, section 1045 of the NDAA for 

FY 2019, Public Law 115–232, section 

9502 of the NDAA for FY 2021, Public 

Law 116–283, or section 5901 of the 

NDAA for FY 2023, Public Law 117– 

263. The FY 2024 NDAA, which took 

effect on December 22, 2023, extended 

the current exemption from the 

temporary need requirement for an 

additional 5 years, through the end of 

the day on December 30, 2029. See FY 

2024 NDAA, Public Law, 118–31, 

section 1807. However, any ultimate 

determination of eligibility will be made 

according to all the relevant factors and 

evidence in each individual 

circumstance. 

Countries Now Designated as Eligible 

The Secretary of Homeland Security 

has also determined, with the 

concurrence of the Secretary of State, 

that Belize should be designated as an 

eligible country to participate in both 

the H–2A and H–2B nonimmigrant visa 

programs because its participation is in 

the U.S. interest consistent with the 

regulations governing these programs. 

Belize consistently cooperates with 

accepting its nationals subject to a final 

order of removal. Furthermore, Belizean 

nationals are generally compliant with 

the terms and conditions of all visa 

categories. Nationals of Belize do not 

present significant visa overstay 

concerns and its overstay rates are 

generally consistent with other 

countries currently listed as eligible to 

participate in the H–2A and H–2B 

programs. In FY 2023, visa overstay 

rates for Belizean nationals were less 

than five percent across all visa 

categories. Adding Belize to these 

programs would contribute to DOS’s 

goals of promoting economic 

development and improving bilateral 

commercial relationships with Belize. 

Additionally, while irregular migration 

of Belizean nationals to the United 

States remains low, inclusion of Belize 

in the H–2A and H–2B programs will 

provide an alternative, lawful, pathway 

to irregular migration for Belizean 

nationals seeking economic 

opportunities in the United States. 

DHS recognizes that Belize was 

previously removed from the H–2A and 

H–2B eligible countries list in 2018. At 

that time, DHS explained that Belize did 

not meet the standards for inclusion on 

the list due to its ‘‘Tier 3’’ placement on 

the U.S. Department of State’s 2017 

Trafficking in Persons report.4 A ‘‘Tier 

3’’ placement is given to a country that 

does not fully meet the Trafficking 

Victims Protection Act’s (TVPA) 

minimum standards and is not making 

significant efforts to meet those 

standards.5 Belize has since been rated 

as a ‘‘Tier 2’’ placement, meaning that, 

while the country does not yet fully 

meet the TVPA’s minimum standards, it 

is making significant efforts towards 

compliance with those standards.6

Accordingly, DHS does not have the 

same concerns regarding Belize’s 


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inclusion on the list as previously, and 

DHS has determined that, based on a 

review of the relevant factors, adding 

Belize to both the H–2A and H–2B 

eligible countries lists serves the U.S. 

interest. 

Designation of Countries Whose 

Nationals Are Eligible To Participate in 

the H–2A and H–2B Nonimmigrant 

Worker Programs 

Pursuant to the authority provided to 

the Secretary of Homeland Security 

under sections 214(a)(1) and 215(a)(1) of 

the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 

U.S.C. 1184(a)(1) and 1185(a)(1), I am 

designating, with the concurrence of the 

Secretary of State, the following 

countries as those whose nationals are 

eligible to participate in the H–2A 

nonimmigrant worker program: 

1. Andorra 

2. Argentina 

3. Australia 

4. Austria 

5. Barbados 

6. Belgium 

7. Belize 

8. Bolivia 

9. Bosnia and Herzegovina 

10. Brazil 

11. Brunei 

12. Bulgaria 

13. Canada 

14. Chile 

15. Colombia 

16. Costa Rica 

17. Croatia 

18. Republic of Cyprus 

19. Czech Republic 

20. Denmark 

21. Dominican Republic 

22. Ecuador 

23. El Salvador 

24. Estonia 

25. The Kingdom of Eswatini 

26. Fiji 

27. Finland 

28. France 

29. Germany 

30. Greece 

31. Grenada 

32. Guatemala 

33. Haiti 

34. Honduras 

35. Hungary 

36. Iceland 

37. Ireland 

38. Israel 

39. Italy 

40. Jamaica 

41. Japan 

42. Kiribati 

43. Latvia 

44. Liechtenstein 

45. Lithuania 

46. Luxembourg 

47. Madagascar 

48. Malta 

49. Mauritius 

50. Mexico 

51. Monaco 

52. Montenegro 

53. Mozambique 

54. Nauru 

55. The Netherlands 

56. New Zealand 

57. Nicaragua 

58. North Macedonia (formerly 

Macedonia) 

59. Norway 

60. Panama 

61. Papua New Guinea 

62. Paraguay 

63. Peru 

64. Poland 

65. Portugal 

66. Romania 

67. Saint Lucia 

68. San Marino 

69. Serbia 

70. Singapore 

71. Slovakia 

72. Slovenia 

73. Solomon Islands 

74. South Africa 

75. South Korea 

76. Spain 

77. St. Vincent and the Grenadines 

78. Sweden 

79. Switzerland 

80. Taiwan 

81. Thailand 

82. Timor-Leste 

83. Turkey 

84. Tuvalu 

85. Ukraine 

86. United Kingdom 

87. Uruguay 

88. Vanuatu 

Pursuant to the authority provided to 

the Secretary of Homeland Security 

under sections 214(a)(1) and 215(a)(1) of 

the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 

U.S.C. 1184(a)(1) and 1185(a)(1)), I am 

designating, with the concurrence of the 

Secretary of State, the following 

countries as those whose nationals are 

eligible to participate in the H–2B 

nonimmigrant worker program: 

1. Andorra 

2. Argentina 

3. Australia 

4. Austria 

5. Barbados 

6. Belgium 

7. Belize 

8. Bolivia 

9. Bosnia and Herzegovina 

10. Brazil 

11. Brunei 

12. Bulgaria 

13. Canada 

14. Chile 

15. Colombia 

16. Costa Rica 

17. Croatia 

18. Republic of Cyprus 

19. Czech Republic 

20. Denmark 

21. Dominican Republic 

22. Ecuador 

23. El Salvador 

24. Estonia 

25. The Kingdom of Eswatini 

26. Fiji 

27. Finland 

28. France 

29. Germany 

30. Greece 

31. Grenada 

32. Guatemala 

33. Haiti 

34. Honduras 

35. Hungary 

36. Iceland 

37. Ireland 

38. Israel 

39. Italy 

40. Jamaica 

41. Japan 

42. Kiribati 

43. Latvia 

44. Liechtenstein 

45. Lithuania 

46. Luxembourg 

47. Madagascar 

48. Malta 

49. Mauritius 

50. Mexico 

51. Monaco 

52. Mongolia 

53. Montenegro 

54. Mozambique 

55. Nauru 

56. The Netherlands 

57. New Zealand 

58. Nicaragua 

59. North Macedonia (formerly 

Macedonia) 

60. Norway 

61. Panama 

62. Papua New Guinea 

63. Peru 

64. The Philippines 

65. Poland 

66. Portugal 

67. Romania 

68. Saint Lucia 

69. San Marino 

70. Serbia 

71. Singapore 

72. Slovakia 

73. Slovenia 

74. Solomon Islands 

75. South Africa 

76. South Korea 

77. Spain 

78. St. Vincent and the Grenadines 

79. Sweden 

80. Switzerland 

81. Taiwan 

82. Thailand 

83. Timor-Leste 

84. Turkey 

85. Tuvalu 


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86. Ukraine 

87. United Kingdom 

88. Uruguay 

89. Vanuatu 

This notice does not affect the current 

status of noncitizens who at the time of 

publication of this notice hold valid H– 

2A or H–2B nonimmigrant status. 

Noncitizens currently holding such 

status, however, will be affected by this 

notice should they seek an extension of 

stay in the H–2 classification, or a 

change of status from one H–2 status to 

another, for employment on or after the 

effective date of this notice. Similarly, 

noncitizens holding nonimmigrant 

status other than H–2 are not affected by 

this notice, but will be affected by this 

notice if they seek a change of status to 

H–2 on or after the effective date of this 

notice. 

Nothing in this notice limits the 

authority of the Secretary of Homeland 

Security or his designee or any other 

federal agency to invoke against any 

foreign country or its nationals any 

other remedy, penalty, or enforcement 

action available by law. 

Alejandro N. Mayorkas, 

Secretary of Homeland Security. 

[FR Doc. 2024–25790 Filed 11–7–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4410–10–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[Docket No. FWS–HQ–IA–2024–0183; 

FXIA16710900000–245–FF09A30000] 

Foreign Endangered Species; Receipt 

of Permit Applications 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of receipt of permit 

applications; request for comments. 

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, invite the public to 

comment on applications to conduct 

certain activities with foreign species 

that are listed as endangered under the 

Endangered Species Act (ESA). With 

some exceptions, the ESA prohibits 

activities with listed species unless 

Federal authorization is issued that 

allows such activities. The ESA also 

requires that we invite public comment 

before issuing permits for any activity 

otherwise prohibited by the ESA with 

respect to any endangered species. 

DATES: We must receive comments by 

December 9, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: 

Obtaining Documents: The 

applications, application supporting 

materials, and any comments and other 

materials that we receive will be 

available for public inspection at 

https://www.regulations.gov in Docket 

No. FWS–HQ–IA–2024–0183. 

Submitting Comments: When 

submitting comments, please specify the 

name of the applicant and the permit 

number at the beginning of your 

comment. You may submit comments 

by one of the following methods: 

• Internet: https://

www.regulations.gov. Search for and 

submit comments on Docket No. FWS– 

HQ–IA–2024–0183. 

• U.S. mail: Public Comments 

Processing, Attn: Docket No. FWS–HQ– 

IA–2024–0183; U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service Headquarters, MS: PRB/3W; 

5275 Leesburg Pike; Falls Church, VA 

22041–3803. 

For more information, see Public 

Comment Procedures under 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Timothy MacDonald, by phone at 703– 

358–2185 or via email at DMAFR@

fws.gov. Individuals in the United States 

who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, 

or have a speech disability may dial 711 

(TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access 

telecommunications relay services. 

Individuals outside the United States 

should use the relay services offered 

within their country to make 

international calls to the point-ofcontact in the United States. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Public Comment Procedures 

A. How do I comment on submitted 

applications? 

We invite the public and local, State, 

Tribal, and Federal agencies to comment 

on these applications. Before issuing 

any of the requested permits, we will 

take into consideration any information 

that we receive during the public 

comment period. 

You may submit your comments and 

materials by one of the methods in 

ADDRESSES. We will not consider 

comments sent by email or to an address 

not in ADDRESSES. We will not consider 

or include in our administrative record 

comments we receive after the close of 

the comment period (see DATES). 

When submitting comments, please 

specify the name of the applicant and 

the permit number at the beginning of 

your comment. Provide sufficient 

information to allow us to authenticate 

any scientific or commercial data you 

include. The comments and 

recommendations that will be most 

useful and likely to influence agency 

decisions are: (1) Those supported by 

quantitative information or studies; and 

(2) those that include citations to, and 

analyses of, the applicable laws and 

regulations. 

B. May I review comments submitted by 

others? 

You may view and comment on 

others’ public comments at https://

www.regulations.gov unless our 

allowing so would violate the Privacy 

Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) or Freedom of 

Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552). 

C. Who will see my comments? 

If you submit a comment at https://

www.regulations.gov, your entire 

comment, including any personal 

identifying information, will be posted 

on the website. If you submit a 

hardcopy comment that includes 

personal identifying information, such 

as your address, phone number, or 

email address, you may request at the 

top of your document that we withhold 

this information from public review. 

However, we cannot guarantee that we 

will be able to do so. Moreover, all 

submissions from organizations or 

businesses, and from individuals 

identifying themselves as 

representatives or officials of 

organizations or businesses, will be 

made available for public disclosure in 

their entirety. 

II. Background 

To help us carry out our conservation 

responsibilities for affected species, and 

in consideration of section 10(c) of the 

Endangered Species Act of 1973, as 

amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), 

we invite public comments on permit 

applications before final action is taken. 

With some exceptions, the ESA 

prohibits certain activities with listed 

species unless Federal authorization is 

issued that allows such activities. 

Permits issued under section 10(a)(1)(A) 

of the ESA allow otherwise prohibited 

activities for scientific purposes or to 

enhance the propagation or survival of 

the affected species. Service regulations 

regarding prohibited activities with 

endangered species, captive-bred 

wildlife registrations, and permits for 

any activity otherwise prohibited by the 

ESA with respect to any endangered 

species are available in title 50 of the 

Code of Federal Regulations in part 17. 

III. Permit Applications 

We invite comments on the following 

applications. 

Applicant: Monterey Zoo, Salinas, CA; 

Permit No. PER12865944 

The applicant requests a permit to 

purchase in interstate commerce two 

captive-born lions (Panthera leo 


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