[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 245 (Thursday, December 20, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75440-75441]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-30673]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

[OMB Control Number 1615-0052]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Application for 
Naturalization, Form Number N-400; Revision of a Currently Approved 
Collection

ACTION: 60-Day notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship 
and Immigration Services (USCIS) invites the general public and other 
Federal agencies to comment upon this proposed revision of a currently 
approved collection of information. In accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995, the information collection notice is published 
in the Federal Register to obtain comments regarding the nature of the 
information collection, the categories of respondents, the estimated 
burden (i.e. the time, effort, and resources used by the respondents to 
respond), the estimated cost to the respondent, and the actual 
information collection instruments.

[[Page 75441]]


DATES: Comments are encouraged and will be accepted for sixty days 
until February 19, 2013.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and suggestions regarding items contained 
in this notice, and especially with regard to the estimated public 
burden and associated response time should be directed to DHS using one 
of the following methods: (1) Via the Federal eRulemaking Portal Web 
site at www.Regulations.gov under e-Docket ID number USCIS-2008-0025; 
(2) by email to [email protected]; or (3) by mail to DHS, 
USCIS, Office of Policy and Strategy, Chief, Regulatory Coordination 
Division, 20 Massachusetts Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20529-2140. All 
submissions received must include the OMB Control Number 1615-0052 in 
the subject box, the agency name and Docket ID 2008-0025.
    Regardless of the method used for submitting comments or material, 
all submissions will be posted, without change, to the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov, and will include any 
personal information you provide. Therefore, submitting this 
information makes it public. You may wish to consider limiting the 
amount of personal information that you provide in any voluntary 
submission you make to DHS. DHS may withhold information provided in 
comments from public viewing that it determines may impact the privacy 
of an individual or is offensive. For additional information, please 
read the Privacy Act notice that is available via the link in the 
footer of http://www.regulations.gov.

    Note: The address listed in this notice should only be used to 
submit comments concerning this information collection. Please do 
not submit requests for individual case status inquiries to this 
address. If you are seeking information about the status of your 
individual case, please check ``My Case Status'' online at: https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/Dashboard.do, or call the USCIS National 
Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283.

    Written comments and suggestions from the public and affected 
agencies 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 agency's 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.
    USCIS continually reviews its information collection tools for 
accuracy, completeness, and utility and, as a result, the agency is 
proposing the addition of a number of questions to Form N-400. These 
additional questions will allow USCIS to make more informed decisions 
on the eligibility of respondents to the form. Form N-400 is the final 
information collection activity that occurs before an eligibility 
determination for naturalization is made. Even if the applicant for 
naturalization has received a previous immigration benefit from USCIS, 
the length of time that may have transpired between the initial 
interaction that the respondent had with USCIS on another immigration 
benefit request and the filing of the N-400 requires USCIS to verify 
that actions taken by the respondent during the intervening years do 
not affect his or her eligibility for naturalization. The form is also 
updated to examine the inadmissibility grounds that were added by the 
Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004. Public Law 
108-458 (Dec. 17, 2004). USCIS added these questions as required by the 
agreement reached through a working group comprised of representatives 
of affected agencies, including the Departments of Justice and State, 
and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement of DHS. These additional 
questions are necessary for USCIS to meet the statutory requirements 
and the President's directive to make a determination that a person is 
ineligible to naturalize because of his or her past involvement with 
terrorism, persecution, torture, or genocide. See, Presidential 
Proclamation--Suspension of Entry as Immigrants and Nonimmigrants of 
Persons Who Participate in Serious Human Rights and Humanitarian Law 
Violations and Other Abuses, at http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/08/04/presidential-proclamation-suspension-entry-immigrants-and-nonimmigrants. Because Form N-400 has changed 
significantly, the burden estimate in this notice is not based on the 
experience and observations of actual public usage. USCIS would 
appreciate and encourages the public's input on the burden estimate so 
as to provide the most accurate estimate possible.

Overview of This Information Collection

    (1) Type of Information Collection: Revision of a Currently 
Approved Collection.
    (2) Title of the Form/Collection: Application for Naturalization.
    (3) Agency form number, if any, and the applicable component of the 
DHS sponsoring the collection: N-400; USCIS.
    (4) Affected public who will be asked or required to respond, as 
well as a brief abstract: Primary: Individuals or households. USCIS 
uses the information gathered on Form N-400 to make a determination as 
to a respondent's eligibility to naturalize and become a United States 
citizen.
    (5) An estimate of the total number of respondents and the amount 
of time estimated for an average respondent to respond: 764,450 
respondents with an estimated response per respondent of 6 hours and 55 
minutes for the form N-400 and 1 hour and 17 minutes for the biometric 
processing.
    (6) An estimate of the total public burden (in hours) associated 
with the collection: 7,076,514 Hours.
    If you need a copy of the information collection instrument with 
instructions, or additional information, please visit the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal site at: http://www.regulations.gov. We may also be 
contacted at: USCIS, Office of Policy and Strategy, Regulatory 
Coordination Division, 20 Massachusetts Avenue NW., Washington, DC 
20529-2140, Telephone number 202-272-8377.

    Dated: December 17, 2012.
Laura Dawkins,
Chief, Regulatory Coordination Division, Office of Policy and Strategy, 
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of Homeland 
Security.
[FR Doc. 2012-30673 Filed 12-19-12; 8:45 am]
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