[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 134 (Monday, July 14, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37604-37620]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-18347]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Immigration and Naturalization Service


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request

ACTION: Ninety-day emergency extension request to a currently approved 
emergency extension for a revision of a currently approved collection; 
Application for Asylum and Withholding of Removal.

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    The Department of Justice, Immigration and Naturalization Service 
has submitted the following information collection request (ICR) 
utilizing emergency review procedures, to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for review and clearance/approval in accordance with the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. Additionally, this notice will serve 
as the 60-day public notification for comments as required by the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The new streamlined information 
collection is published to obtain comments from the public and affected 
agencies. Comments are encouraged and will be accepted for sixty days 
until September 12, 1997.
    Written comments and suggestions from the public and affected 
agencies concerning the proposed collection of information 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 agencies 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: Revision of a currently 
approved collection.
    (2) Title of the Form/Collection: Application for Asylum and 
Withholding of Removal.
    (3) Agency form number, if any, and the applicable component of the 
Department of Justice sponsoring the collection: Form I-589. Office of 
International Affairs, Asylum Division, Immigration and Naturalization 
Service.
    (4) Affected public who will be asked or required to respond, as 
well as a brief abstract: Primary: Individuals or Households. The 
information collected is used by the INS and EOIR to access eligibility 
of persons applying for asylum and withholding of deportation.
    (5) An estimate of the total number of respondents and the amount 
of time estimated for an average respondent to respond: 80,000 
responses at three and one half (3.16) hours per response.
    (6) An estimate of the total public burden (in hours) associated 
with the collection: 252,800 annual burden hours.
    Comments and questions about the emergency extension of this 
information collection should be forwarded to OMB, Office of 
Information and Regulatory Affairs, Attention: Ms. Debra Bond, 202-395-
7316, Department of Justice Desk Officer, Room 10235, Washington, DC 
20503.
    If you have additional comments, suggestions, or need a copy of the 
proposed information collection instrument with instructions, or 
additional information, please contact Richard A. Sloan 202-616-7600, 
Director, Policy Directives and Instructions Branch, Immigration and 
Naturalization Service, U.S. Department of Justice, Room 5307, 425 I 
Street, NW., Washington, DC 20536. Additionally, comments and/or 
suggestions regarding the item(s) contained in this notice, especially 
regarding the estimated public burden and associated response time may 
also be directed to Mr. Richard A. Sloan.
    If additional information is required contact: Mr. Robert B. 
Briggs, Clearance Officer, United States Department of Justice, 
Information Management and Security Staff, Justice Management Division, 
Suite 850, Washington Center, 1001 G Street, NW., Washington, DC 20530.

    Dated: July 9, 1997.
Robert B. Briggs,
Department Clearance Officer, United States Department of Justice.

Amendments to Form I-589 Application for Asylum and for Withholding of 
Removal

    In an effort to streamline the Form I-589, Application for Asylum 
and for Withholding of Removal (OMB No. 1115-0086), the Immigration and 
Naturalization Service, Office of International Affairs established a 
Working Group. The Working Group consisted of input from members from 
the following programs: Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR); 
Office of International Affairs; Office of General Counsel; Benefits 
Division; Field Manual Project and the Policy Directives and 
Instructions Branch. Outlined below are the findings as a result of the 
I-589 Working Group. The Form I-589 has been revised accordingly.

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Part E--Background Information About You

    Former Part E of the I-589 application was not deleted as 
previously requested by OMB. Part E was included in Part A because it 
was felt this information was necessary to adjudicate this application. 
The more information asked on the form, the more information the 
applicant will provide and the easier it is for the asylum officer to 
conduct a fair appraisal of the claim. The intent of a non-
confrontational interview is to obtain a complete, clear view of the 
manner in which the applicant has lived and functioned in his home 
country. Many applicants are intimidated by being questioned and they 
may react in a manner which is not conducive to a non-confrontational 
interview. Having the applicant provide the majority of the information 
relieves the officer of the need to ask these questions. This puts the 
officer in a less confrontational position in the applicant's eyes.
    An additional section was added which requests the applicant to 
list ALL children regardless of age or civil status or whether they are 
in the United States or not. Providing this information will prompt the 
applicant to think of every member within his family at one time, 
rather than one by one as is done formerly in Part B of the form, and 
will help him or her to include every child eligible to be included in 
the application. This information will also assist the Service in 
future requests the applicant may make for benefit at a future date.
    The form also asks the applicant to provide information about his 
or her parents, past residences and employments and education. The 
Service believes it is necessary to ask the applicant to provide this 
information on the application form for several important reasons.
    Having the applicant provide specific details to these questions 
helps the applicant to articulate more thoroughly different forms of 
persecutory treatment. Additionally, by engaging in the process of 
answering the questions, the applicant is prompted to remember and cite 
facts which he or she might otherwise not recall during an oral 
recounting of circumstances and occurrences in their home country 
regarding the claim to asylum. Likewise, for the asylum officer, seeing 
the information, at a glance, patterns of mistreatment would be 
revealed. This would enable the officer to quickly determine whether 
certain areas need to be developed further or could suggest other lines 
of questioning which would provide additional, essential information.
    For example: the information the applicant provides about his or 
her education indicates to the asylum officer whether the applicant was 
denied benefits in his or her home country. This point is necessary in 
developing a pattern of persecutor treatment. If a person is denied 
education, this opens for the asylum officer additional possibilities 
for developing the applicant's claim. Education is an important element 
of persecution in communist societies.
    Repeated changes in residence and employment during the previous 
five years provide the officer with a clearer view of the life pattern 
of the applicant and assist the asylum officer in developing the 
reasons for those changes. The asylum officer can identify any 
necessity for identifying additional areas of persecution which could 
influence positively the outcome of the applicant's claim. For example; 
why did they move, were they forced by the government to move, did they 
feel the necessity to move in order to get out from under the control 
of certain government or military authorities, or did they have to 
receive permission to move, and whether they were forced into menial 
labor by the authorities.
    By asking the applicant for information about his or her parents, 
the applicant is provided a means of giving evidence he or she might 
not otherwise consider pertinent to their situation in their home 
country. The status afforded to and the location of the residence of 
the applicant's parents can easily reflect a pattern of persecution if 
it shows the asylum officer, for example that, if the parents are 
outside the country of nationality, where they are and what status they 
have.

Photographs

    The Service has changed the photograph requirement from ADIT-type 
photos to passport-style photos. The Service believes that there are 
more photographers who take passport-style photographs than do ADIT 
photographs. This will make it easier for the applicant to comply with 
the photograph requirement. Also, the requirement of two photographs 
has been changed to one photograph.

Organization of the Form

    The form has been reorganized to have all information about the 
applicant in Part A rather than scattered throughout the application. 
The Service believes that this should make it easier for the applicant 
to complete the form and thus may cut down on the time required to 
answer all the questions.

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[FR Doc. 97-18347 Filed 7-11-97; 8:45 am]
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