Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 243 / Thursday, December 18, 2014 / Notices 75581 

and file the Form I–131 in effect at the 

time of filing—and follow any 

additional instructions included in the 

program eligibility notice they receive 

from either USCIS or the NVC in 

submitting their application. A 

completed Form I–131 and fee or fee 

waiver request must be filed for each 

individual on whose behalf parole is 

being requested. 

III. Participation in the CFRP Program 

and Application Process 

USCIS offers participation in the 

CFRP Program to Cuban nationals who 

reside in Cuba and who are the 

beneficiaries—including any eligible 

spouse and child accompanying or 

following-to-join the principal 

beneficiaries (see INA sec. 203(d), 8 

U.S.C. 1153(d))—of an approved Form 

I–130, Petition for Alien Relative, but 

for whom an immigrant visa is not 

immediately available. Participation in 

the CFRP Program is voluntary. 

Prior to the date of this notice, the 

NVC mailed written notice to eligible 

U.S.-based U.S.C. and LPR petitioners 

with approved Forms I–130 indicating 

their beneficiaries’ eligibility to 

participate in the CFRP Program. The 

notice invited an interested petitioner to 

submit to the NVC a copy of their 

approved Form I–130 and other 

supporting documents to opt in to the 

CFRP Program and begin the process of 

requesting parole. No formal application 

form or fee was required to apply. As of 

the date of this notice, the NVC will no 

longer issue CFRP Program eligibility 

notices that do not require a form and 

fee to apply. Petitioners with CFRP 

Program eligibility notices dated prior to 

December 18, 2014 must submit to the 

NVC the complete required 

documentation to opt in to the CFRP 

Program prior to February 17, 2015 in 

order to be grandfathered and 

considered for processing without a 

form and fee. 

On or after February 17, 2015, 

participation in the CFRP Program will 

be predicated on submission of a Form 

I–131 and the requisite fee(s) or request 

for fee waiver that has been approved by 

USCIS. A U.S.C. or LPR petitioner in the 

United States with an approved Form I– 

130 that was filed on behalf of a 

beneficiary relative residing in Cuba, for 

whom a visa is not anticipated to be 

available during the CFRP processing 

time, will receive a written invitation 

from the NVC regarding the 

beneficiary’s eligibility to participate in 

the CFRP Program and the procedures 

for requesting parole, if desired. The 

notice will instruct the recipient on how 

to file a completed Form I–131 and 

submit the required fee(s) or fee waiver 

request to apply for the program. USCIS 

will reject a request for parole under the 

CFRP Program submitted without the 

required form and fee(s) or a request for 

a fee waiver. 

USCIS officers or Department of State 

consular officers will interview 

qualified beneficiaries in Havana to 

verify their eligibility for the program. 

Beneficiaries may also have their 

biometrics collected. If USCIS exercises 

its discretion to authorize parole under 

the CFRP Program, USCIS or the 

Department of State will issue the 

necessary travel documents to the 

beneficiary in Cuba. These travel 

documents will enable the beneficiary 

to travel safely to the United States and 

seek parole by U.S. Customs and Border 

Protection (CBP) at a U.S. port-of-entry 

to join his or her family member. A 

beneficiary who is paroled into the 

United States would then be eligible to 

apply to adjust status to that of lawful 

permanent resident after he or she has 

been physically present in the United 

States for one year as provided by the 

Cuban Adjustment Act, Pub. L. 89–732, 

80 Stat. 1161 (8 U.S.C. 1255 note), or 

once the beneficiary’s visa becomes 

available, whichever comes first. 

Participation in the CFRP Program is 

not available to aliens who qualify as 

‘‘immediate relatives’’ under section 

201(b)(2)(A)(i) of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 

1151(b)(2)(A)(i). Such aliens may seek 

immigrant visas for travel to the United 

States immediately upon the approval of 

the immigrant visa petitions filed on 

their behalf. 

For eligible beneficiaries who are not 

‘‘immediate relatives,’’ if an immigrant 

visa becomes available while the Form 

I–131 is pending, the beneficiary will be 

able to proceed with the parole process 

to completion, if desired. Alternatively, 

the beneficiary can choose to pursue 

immigrant visa processing, which will 

require payment of associated fees but 

will enable the individual to apply for 

admission to the United States as an 

immigrant, if found eligible by the 

Department of State for the visa and 

admissible by CBP at the port of entry. 

IV. Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) 

Under the PRA, 44 U.S.C. chapter 35, 

all Departments are required to submit 

to the Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) for review and approval, any 

new reporting requirements they 

impose. The Application for Travel 

Document, Form I–131, has been 

approved by OMB and assigned OMB 

control number 1615–0013. USCIS is 

making no changes to the Form in 

connection with the CFRP Program and 

this notice; however, USCIS estimates 

that this notice will result in an annual 

average of 13,000–15,000 Form I–131 

filings per year. The current OMBapproved estimate of the number of 

annual respondents filing a Form I–131 

is 940,671. USCIS has overestimated the 

number of individuals who will use this 

form to apply for immigration benefits 

to the degree that additional 

respondents who will use it to file for 

the CFRP Program will be covered 

within the 940,671 estimated. USCIS is 

not changing the collection instrument 

or increasing its burden estimates in 

connection with this notice. Therefore, 

USCIS is not publishing a notice under 

the PRA or making revisions to the 

currently approved burden for OMB 

control number 1615–0013. 

Additional information about the 

CFRP Program and the application 

process will be posted on the USCIS 

Web site at www.uscis.gov. 

Dated: December 11, 2014. 

Leo ́n Rodrı ́guez 

Director, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration 

Services. 

[FR Doc. 2014–29486 Filed 12–17–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 9111–97–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND 

SECURITY 

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration 

Services 

[CIS No. 2548–14; DHS Docket No. USCIS– 

2014–0013] 

Implementation of Haitian Family 

Reunification Parole Program 

AGENCY: U.S. Citizenship and 

Immigration Services, DHS. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: This notice announces the 

implementation of U.S. Citizenship and 

Immigration Services’ (USCIS) Haitian 

Family Reunification Parole (HFRP) 

Program. Under this program, USCIS 

offers certain Haitian beneficiaries of 

family-based immigrant petitions 

approved on or before December 18, 

2014 an opportunity to receive a 

discretionary grant of parole to enter the 

United States up to approximately two 

years before their immigrant visas 

become available, rather than remain in 

Haiti awaiting availability of their 

immigrant visas. The program is 

intended to expedite family 

reunification through safe, legal, and 

orderly channels of migration to the 

United States, increase existing avenues 

for legal migration from Haiti, and help 

Haiti continue to recover from the 

devastation and damage suffered in the 

January 12, 2010 earthquake. 

DATES: 

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75582 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 243 / Thursday, December 18, 2014 / Notices 

1http://www.state.gov/s/hsc/factsheets/2014/

219539.htm. 

2See INA sec. 212(d)(5)(A), 8 U.S.C. 1182(d)(5)(A) 

(permitting parole of certain aliens into the United 

States, as a matter of discretion and on a case-bycase basis, for urgent humanitarian reasons or 

significant public benefit); see also 8 CFR 212.5(c) 

& (d) (discretionary authority for establishing 

conditions of parole and for terminating parole). 3See INA sec. 203(d), 8 U.S.C. 1153(d). 

• The HFRP Program will only be 

available to Haitian beneficiaries of 

family-based immigrant petitions 

approved on or before December 18, 

2014. 

• On or after February 2, 2015, the 

Department of State’s National Visa 

Center (NVC) will begin sending to 

eligible petitioners written invitations to 

apply to the HFRP Program. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Maura Nicholson, Deputy Chief, 

International Operations Division, U.S. 

Citizenship and Immigration Services, 

Department of Homeland Security, 20 

Massachusetts Avenue NW., Suite 3300, 

Washington, DC 20529, Telephone (202) 

272–1892. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background of the HFRP Program 

The rebuilding and development of a 

safe and economically strong Haiti is a 

priority for the United States. While 

progress has been made since the 2010 

earthquake that devastated parts of the 

country, Haiti continues to face 

significant development challenges. 

Reconstruction and development in 

Haiti will continue for many years.1

With the exception of ‘‘immediate 

relatives’’ of U.S. citizens (USCs) (i.e., 

parent, spouse and unmarried child(ren) 

under 21 years of age), see Immigration 

and Nationality Act (INA) sec. 

201(b)(2)(A)(i), 8 U.S.C. 1151(b)(2)(A)(i), 

the number of family-based immigrant 

visas that are available in any given year 

is limited by statute. See INA secs. 

201(c), 202(a) & 203, 8 U.S.C. 1151(c), 

1152(a) & 1153. These statutory limits 

have resulted in long waiting periods 

before family members remaining in 

Haiti may join the U.S.C. and lawful 

permanent resident (LPR) family 

members in the United States who 

petitioned for them. 

Under the HFRP Program, USCIS will 

exercise its discretionary parole 

authority 2 to permit certain eligible 

Haitians in Haiti to join their family 

members in the United States up to 

approximately two years before their 

immigrant visas become available, 

thereby promoting family unity. By 

expanding existing legal means for 

Haitians to immigrate, the HFRP 

Program serves a significant public 

benefit by promoting safe, legal, and 

orderly migration to the United States. 

Furthermore, it supports U.S. goals for 

Haiti’s long-term reconstruction and 

development. Once paroled into the 

United States, HFRP Program 

beneficiaries will be eligible to apply for 

employment authorization, and those 

who are able to work may contribute to 

Haiti’s post-earthquake reconstruction 

and development through remittances. 

Whether to parole a particular alien 

remains, however, a case-by-case, 

discretionary determination. 

II. Participation in the HFRP Program 

and Application Process 

USCIS offers participation in the 

HFRP Program to eligible Haitians: (1) 

In Haiti; (2) who are the beneficiaries 

(including any accompanying or 

following-to-join spouse and children 3) 

of Forms I–130, Petition for Alien 

Relative, that were approved on or 

before the date of publication of this 

notice; (3) whose immigrant visas are 

not available, but are expected to 

become available within approximately 

18 to 30 months; and (4) whose 

petitioning relatives in the United States 

have received a written invitation to 

apply for the HFRP Program on their 

behalf from the Department of State’s 

National Visa Center (NVC). 

The NVC will issue a written 

invitation to petitioners of approved 

Forms I–130 based upon the date when 

the immigrant visas for their beneficiary 

relatives are expected to become 

available. Each year the NVC will 

identify approved Forms I–130 whose 

filing dates (priority dates) are expected 

to become current in approximately the 

next 18 to 30 months, meaning that the 

immigrant visas for those cases are 

expected to become available within 

that timeframe. The NVC will prioritize 

the issuance of invitations to petitioners 

within that group, beginning with the 

oldest Form I–130 filing date and 

working forward to the most recent 

filing date. The number of HFRP 

Program invitations may be limited 

annually based on U.S. Government 

operational capacity in Haiti and the 

availability of U.S. Government 

resources to aid program beneficiaries. 

Initially, the U.S. Government will seek 

to interview approximately 5,000 HFRP 

Program beneficiaries in Haiti per year. 

Petitioners will be given a deadline by 

which they must apply to have their 

beneficiary relatives considered for 

parole under the program. Participation 

in the HFRP Program is voluntary. 

On or after February 2, 2015, eligible 

U.S.-based U.S.C. and LPR petitioners 

with approved Forms I–130 filed on 

behalf of a beneficiary relative in Haiti 

for whom a visa is not available but 

expected to become available within 

approximately 18 to 30 months, will 

receive a written notice from the NVC 

regarding the beneficiary’s eligibility to 

participate in the HFRP Program and the 

procedures for requesting parole, if 

desired. The notice will instruct the 

recipient on how to file a completed 

Form I–131, Application for Travel 

Document, and submit the required 

fee(s) or fee waiver request to apply for 

parole under the HFRP Program on 

behalf of each beneficiary. USCIS will 

reject a request for parole under the 

HFRP Program that is not submitted as 

instructed, without the required 

completed form, or without the fee(s) or 

a request for a fee waiver. 

USCIS or Department of State 

consular officers will interview 

qualified beneficiaries in Port au Prince, 

Haiti, to verify their eligibility for the 

program. Beneficiaries may also have 

their biometrics collected. If USCIS 

exercises its discretion to grant parole 

under the HFRP Program, USCIS or the 

Department of State will issue the 

necessary travel documents to the 

beneficiary in Haiti. These travel 

documents will enable the beneficiary 

to travel to the United States and seek 

parole from U.S. Customs and Border 

Protection (CBP) at a U.S. port-of-entry 

to join his or her family. A beneficiary 

who is paroled into the United States 

would then be eligible to apply to adjust 

status to that of lawful permanent 

resident once the beneficiary’s 

immigrant visa becomes available. 

Participation in the HFRP Program is 

not available to aliens who qualify as 

‘‘immediate relatives’’ under section 

201(b)(2)(A)(i) of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 

1151(b)(2)(A)(i). Such aliens may seek 

immigrant visas for travel to the United 

States immediately upon the approval of 

immigrant visa petitions filed on their 

behalf. If, however, an immigrant visa 

becomes available for a beneficiary who 

is not an ‘‘immediate relative’’ while the 

Form I–131 is pending, the beneficiary 

will still be able to complete the parole 

process, if desired. Alternatively, the 

beneficiary can choose to pursue 

immigrant visa processing, which will 

require payment of associated fees, but 

will enable the individual to apply for 

admission to the United States as an 

immigrant, if found eligible by the 

Department of State for the visa and 

admissible by CBP at the port of entry. 

III. Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) 

Under the PRA, 44 U.S.C. chapter 35, 

all Departments are required to submit 

to the Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) for review and approval, any 

new reporting requirements they 

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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 243 / Thursday, December 18, 2014 / Notices 75583 

impose. The USCIS, Application for 

Travel Document, (Form I–131), has 

been approved by OMB and assigned 

OMB control number 1615–0013. USCIS 

is making no changes to this form in 

connection with the implementation of 

the HFRP Program and this notice. 

USCIS estimates that the HFRP Program 

will result in an average of 5,000 Form 

I–131 filings per year. The current OMBapproved estimated number of annual 

respondents filing Form I–131 is 

940,671. USCIS believes it has 

overestimated the number of 

individuals who will use this form to 

apply for immigration benefits to the 

degree that additional respondents who 

will use it to file a HFRP Programrelated request will be covered within 

the 940,671 estimated. Because USCIS is 

not changing the collection instrument 

or increasing its burden estimates in 

connection with this notice, it is 

publishing no notice under the PRA and 

making no revisions to the currently 

approved burden for OMB control 

number 1615–0013. 

Additional information about the 

HFRP program and the application 

process will be posted on the USCIS 

Web site at www.uscis.gov. 

Dated: December 11, 2014. 

Leo ́n Rodrı ́guez, 

Director, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration 

Services. 

[FR Doc. 2014–29533 Filed 12–17–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 9111–97–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

[Docket No. ONRR–2014–0002; DS63610000 

DR2PS0000.CH7000 145D0102R2] 

Office of Natural Resources Revenue; 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Proposed Collection–United 

States Extractive Industries 

Transparency Initiative (USEITI) 

Revenue Information Collection, 

Comment Request 

AGENCY: Office of Natural Resources 

Revenue (ONRR), Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of a new information 

collection. 

SUMMARY: To comply with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 

(PRA), we are inviting comments on an 

information request that we will submit 

to the Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) for review and approval. This 

Information Collection Request (ICR) 

covers the voluntary paperwork 

requirements for participation in the 

United States’ implementation of the 

Extractive Industries Transparency 

Initiative (EITI). It encompasses 

upcoming requests that certain 

companies voluntarily provide 

information on the amount of revenue 

which they have paid to the Federal 

government for extracting Federallyowned natural resources. 

DATES: Submit written comments on or 

before February 17, 2015. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

on this ICR to ONRR by using one of the 

following three methods (please use 

ONRR 2014–0002 as an identifier in 

your comment): 

1. Electronically, go to http://

www.regulations.gov. In the entry titled 

‘‘Enter Keyword or ID,’’ enter ONRR– 

2014–0002 and then click ‘‘Search.’’ 

Follow the instructions to submit public 

comments. ONRR will post all 

comments. 

2. Mail comments to Mr. Luis Aguilar, 

Regulatory Specialist, ONRR, P.O. Box 

25165, MS 61030A, Denver, Colorado 

80225–0165. 

3. Hand-carry or mail comments, 

using an overnight courier service, to 

ONRR. Our courier address is Building 

85, Room A–614, Denver Federal 

Center, West 6th Ave. and Kipling St., 

Denver, Colorado 80225. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

questions on technical issues, contact 

Mr. Jon Swedin, Program Analyst, at 

(303) 231–3028, or email 

Jonathan.Swedin@onrr.gov. For other 

questions, contact Mr. Luis Aguilar, 

telephone (303) 231–3418, or email 

Luis.Aguilar@onrr.gov. You may also 

contact Mr. Aguilar to obtain copies, at 

no cost, of (1) the ICR, (2) any associated 

form, and (3) the regulations that require 

us to collect the information. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: United States Extractive 

Industries Transparency Initiative 

(USEITI) Revenue Information 

Collection. 

OMB Control Number: 1012—0NEW. 

Bureau Form Number: United States 

Extractive Industries Transparency 

Initiative (USEITI) Company Payment 

Reporting Template. 

Abstract: The Secretary of the U.S. 

Department of the Interior is responsible 

for mineral resource development on 

Federal and Indian lands and the Outer 

Continental Shelf (OCS). Under various 

laws, the Secretary’s responsibility is to 

manage mineral resources production 

on Federal and Indian lands and the 

OCS, collect the royalties and other 

mineral revenues due, and distribute the 

funds collected under those laws. ONRR 

performs the royalty management 

functions and assists the Secretary in 

carrying out the Department’s 

responsibility. We have posted those 

laws pertaining to mineral leases on 

Federal and Indian lands and the OCS 

at http://www.onrr.gov/Laws_R_D/

PubLaws/default.htm. 

In September 2011, President Obama 

announced the U.S. commitment to 

domestic implementation of EITI, a key 

element of the President’s Open 

Government Partnership commitments. 

President Obama appointed the 

Secretary of the Interior as the senior 

U.S. official to lead USEITI 

implementation. EITI is a voluntary 

global effort designed to strengthen 

transparency, accountability, and public 

trust for the revenues paid and received 

for a country’s oil, gas, and mineral 

resources. The Administration renewed 

its commitment to implement EITI in 

the December 2013 U.S. Open 

Government National Action Plan. By 

signing onto the global EITI standard, 

the U.S. Government will help ensure 

that American taxpayers are receiving 

every dollar due for the extraction of 

these valuable public resources. The 

EITI Standard contains the set of 

requirements that countries need to 

meet in order to be recognized first as 

an EITI Candidate and, ultimately, an 

EITI-Compliant Country. In March 2014, 

the U.S. became the first G7 country to 

achieve Candidate Country status. When 

fully implemented, EITI will ensure 

more transparency in how the country’s 

natural resources are governed and also 

will provide full disclosure of 

government revenues from its extractive 

sector. 

The following laws and executive 

initiative are applicable to USEITI, 

including the Secretary’s and ONRR’s 

management of mineral resource 

production, revenue, and information 

disclosure obligations: 

• U.S. Open Government National 

Action Plan 

• Freedom of Information Act, as 

amended (5 U.S.C. 552) 

• Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, as 

amended (43 U.S.C. 1331–56b), 

including provisions of the Energy 

Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15801 

et seq.) 

• Federal Oil and Gas Royalty 

Management Act of 1982 as amended 

by the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty 

Simplification and Fairness Act of 

1996 (30 U.S.C. 1701–1759). 

• Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 (30 

U.S.C. 1001–28) 

• Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 181– 

287) 

• Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired 

Lands (30 U.S.C. 351–60) 

General Information 

International EITI requirements direct 

participating governments to publish 

annual reports to help citizens 

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