[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 173 (Wednesday, September 8, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54690-54691]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-22354]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice: 7150]


60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: DS-7656; 
Affidavit of Relationship (AOR); OMB Control Number 1405-XXXX

ACTION: Notice of request for public comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Department of State is seeking Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) approval for the information collection described below. 
The purpose of this notice is to allow 60 days for public comment in 
the Federal Register preceding submission to OMB. We are conducting 
this process in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
     Title of Information Collection: Affidavit of Relationship 
(AOR)
     OMB Control Number: None.
     Type of Request: New Collection.
     Originating Office: Office of Admissions, Bureau of 
Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM/A)
     Form Number: DS-7656.
     Respondents: Persons admitted to the United States as 
refugees or granted asylum in the United States who are claiming a 
relationship with family members overseas (spouses, unmarried children 
under age 21, and/or parents) in order to assist the U.S. Government in 
determining whether those family members are qualified to apply for 
admission to the United States via the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program 
under the family reunification access priority.
     Estimated Number of Respondents: 3,500 annually.
     Estimated Number of Responses: 3,500.
     Average Hours per Response: 45 minutes.
     Total Estimated Burden: 2,625 hours.
     Frequency: On occasion.
     Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain a 
benefit.

DATES: The Department will accept comments from the public up to 60 
days from September 9, 2010.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
     E-mail: [email protected] (Subject line must read: DS-
7656 AOR).
     Mail (paper, disk, or CD-ROM submissions): Delicia 
Spruell, PRM/A,

[[Page 54691]]

U.S. Department of State, SA-9, 8th floor, 2201 C Street, NW., 
Washington, DC 20522-0908. You must include the DS form number, 
information collection title, and OMB control number in any 
correspondence.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Direct requests for additional 
information regarding the collection listed in this notice, including 
requests for copies of the proposed information collection and 
supporting documents, to Delicia Spruell, PRM/A, U.S. Department of 
State, SA-9, 8th floor, 2201 C Street, NW., Washington, DC 20522-0908, 
at [email protected] or at 202-453-9257.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We are soliciting public comments to permit 
the Department to:
     Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is 
necessary for the proper performance of our functions.
     Evaluate the accuracy of our estimate of the burden of the 
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 
technology.
    Abstract of proposed collection: The Affidavit of Relationship 
(AOR) will be required by the Department of State to establish 
qualifications for access to the Priority 3 Family Reunification 
category of the United States Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) by 
persons of certain nationalities who are family members of qualifying 
``anchors'' (persons already admitted to the U.S. as refugees or who 
were granted asylum in the U.S., including persons who may now be 
lawful permanent residents or U.S. citizens). Qualifying family members 
of U.S.-based anchors include spouses, unmarried children under age 21, 
and parents. Eligible nationalities are determined on an annual basis 
following careful review of several factors, including the United 
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees' annual assessment of refugees 
in need of resettlement, prospective or ongoing repatriation efforts, 
and U.S. foreign policy interests. The Priority 3 category, along with 
the other categories of cases that have access to USRAP, is outlined in 
the annual Proposed Refugee Admissions--Report to Congress, which is 
submitted on behalf of the President in fulfillment of the requirements 
of Section 207(e)(1)-(7) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, and 
authorized by the annual Presidential Determination for Refugee 
Admissions. The Priority 3--Family Reunification category has been 
suspended since 2008 while PRM and the Department of Homeland 
Security's U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (DHS/USCIS) have 
examined how additional procedures may be incorporated into P-3 
processing to address indications of a high incidence of fraud in the 
program. PRM and DHS/USCIS are now preparing to resume the program. 
Having an Affidavit of Relationship filed on a potential applicant's 
behalf by an eligible anchor relative will be one of the criteria for 
access to this program. The AOR also informs the anchor relative that 
DNA evidence of all claimed parent-child relationships between the 
anchor relative and parents and/or unmarried children under 21 will be 
required as a condition of access to P-3 processing and that the costs 
will be borne by the anchor relative or their family members who may 
apply for access to refugee processing, or their derivative 
beneficiaries, as the case may be. Successful applicants may be 
eligible for reimbursement of DNA test costs.
    Methodology: Information for the Affidavit of Relationship (AOR) 
will be collected in person by resettlement agencies around the United 
States, which are organizations that work under cooperative agreements 
with the Department of State. Filing an AOR will provide a means for 
individuals who were admitted to the United States as refugees or who 
were granted asylum to claim a relationship with certain family members 
that would qualify them to apply for access to refugee processing under 
the Priority 3 category of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. In 
order to file an AOR, an individual will have to 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 this AOR.
    The resettlement agencies will then forward the completed AORs to 
the Department of State's Refugee Processing Center (RPC) for data 
entry and case processing. DHS/USCIS will conduct an initial review of 
the AOR, including a check against information on record from previous 
filings by the anchor relative. Those AORs that are cleared for onward 
processing are forwarded to the appropriate Department of State-funded 
Overseas Processing Entity (OPE) to conduct preliminary 
``prescreening'' interviews of the claimed family members. After the 
preliminary interviews, the OPE will provide the anchor relative with 
instructions on procedures for arranging DNA testing of claimed 
biological parent-child relationships through a laboratory approved by 
the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) to conduct DNA 
relationship testing. DNA samples from the claimed biological parents 
and/or children of the anchor relative will be collected by designated 
panel physicians overseas and returned to the AABB-approved lab 
selected by the anchor relative. The Department of State will not 
retain the DNA samples. Redacted results received from the lab, which 
will indicate only whether each tested relationship was confirmed or 
not confirmed will be retained. The Privacy Impact Assessment for this 
collection will be posted on the Department of State website.

    Dated: July 7, 2010.
David M. Robinson,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Population, Refugees 
and Migration, Department of State.
[FR Doc. 2010-22354 Filed 9-7-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-33-P