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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 241 (Monday, December 16, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 101681-101682]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-29538]

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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 12607]

30-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Affidavit of 
Relationship (AOR)

ACTION: Notice of request for public comment and submission to OMB of 
proposed collection of information.

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SUMMARY: 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.

DATES: Submit comments up to January 15, 2025.

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: Direct requests for additional 
information regarding the collection listed in this notice, including 
requests for copies of the proposed collection instrument and 
supporting documents, to Daniel Carson--2025 E Street, NW Washington 
DC, 20520 who may be reached on (202) 227-6016 or at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
     Title of Information Collection: Affidavit of Relationship 
(AOR).
     OMB Control Number: 1405-0206.
     Type of Request: Reinstatement of a previously approved 
collection.
     Originating Office: PRM/A.
     Form Number: DS-7656.
     Respondents: A respondent in the United States completes 
the AOR to: (a) establish that he or she was admitted to the United 
States as a refugee or granted asylum; (b) provide a list of qualifying 
family members (spouse, unmarried children under 21, and parents) who 
may wish to apply for refugee resettlement to the United States; and 
(c) establish that the family members are nationals of qualifying 
countries under the P-3 program.
     Estimated Number of Respondents: 300.
     Estimated Number of Responses: 300.
     Average Time per Response: Ninety Minutes.
     Total Estimated Burden Time: 450 hours.
     Frequency: On occasion.
     Obligation to Respond: Required to Obtain or Retain a 
Benefit.
    We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department to:
     Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is 
necessary for the proper functions of the Department.
     Evaluate the accuracy of our time and cost burden estimate 
for this proposed collection, including the validity of the methodology 
and assumptions used.
     Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected.
     Minimize the reporting burden on those who are to respond, 
including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of 
information technology.
    Please note that comments submitted in response to this Notice are 
public record. Before including any detailed personal information, you 
should be aware that your comments as submitted, including your 
personal information, will be available for public review.

Abstract of Proposed Collection

    The Affidavit of Relationship (AOR) is required by the Department 
of State to establish qualification for access to the Priority-3 (P-3) 
Family Reunification category of the United States Refugee Admissions 
Program (USRAP). The P-3 category, along with the other categories of 
cases that have access to USRAP, is outlined in the annual Report to 
Congress on Proposed Refugee Admissions, which is submitted on behalf 
of the President in fulfillment of the requirements of section 207(d) 
of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1157) and authorized 
by the annual Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions. The P-3 
category is available to qualifying family members of U.S.-based 
residents (persons already admitted to the U.S. as refugees or who were 
granted asylum in the United States, including persons who may now be 
lawful permanent residents or U.S. citizens). Qualifying family members 
of U.S.-based residents include spouses, unmarried children under age 
21, and parents. Eligible P-3 nationalities are determined on an annual 
basis by the President.
    In order to access the USRAP through P-3, an applicant must have an 
Affidavit of Relationship (AOR) filed on his or her behalf by a U.S-
based family member. The AOR also informs the U.S-based family member 
that DNA evidence of all claimed parent-child relationships between the 
U.S-based family member and parents and/or unmarried children under 21 
is required as a condition of access to P-3 processing; it further 
informs the U.S-based family member that the costs of DNA testing will 
be borne by the U.S. government. DNA testing between the QFM and any 
derivative applicant(s) (unmarried child under the age of 21), to prove 
the existence of their claimed family relationship, will be at no 
expense to the U.S. government.

Methodology

    This information collection currently involves the limited use of 
electronic techniques. An anchor may complete an AOR at any local 
office of a Resettlement Agency (RA) that has a cooperative agreement 
with the Department of State to assist refugees who have been resettled 
in the United States. In order to file an AOR, a U.S-based family 
member must be at least 18 years of age and have been admitted to the 
United States as a refugee or granted asylum in the United States no 
more than five years prior to the filing of the AOR. The AOR is 
available electronically, is completed electronically with the 
assistance of RA staff, and is submitted electronically by RA staff to 
a Department of State-contracted facility, where it is manually 
uploaded into the USRAP case management system. In addition, the RA

[[Page 101682]]

local office prints a copy for the respondent's ink signature, then 
submits the signed form to the RA headquarters.

Kelly A Gauger,
Deputy Director, PRM/A, Department of State.
[FR Doc. 2024-29538 Filed 12-13-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-33-P
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