[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 54 (Wednesday, March 20, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17220-17221]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-06435]


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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 N-400; Revision of a Currently Approved Collection

ACTION: 30-day notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship 
and Immigration Services (USCIS) will be submitting the following 
information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) for review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995. The information collection notice was previously 
published in the Federal Register on December 20, 2012, at 77 FR 75440, 
allowing for a 60-day public comment period. USCIS did receive multiple 
comments in connection with the 60-day notice.

DATES: The purpose of this notice is to allow an additional 30 days for 
public comments. Comments are encouraged and will be accepted until 
April 19, 2013. This process is conducted in accordance with 5 CFR 
1320.10.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and/or suggestions regarding the item(s) 
contained in this notice, especially regarding the estimated public 
burden and associated response time, must be directed to the OMB USCIS 
Desk Officer via email at [email protected]. The comments 
submitted to the OMB USCIS Desk Officer may also be submitted to DHS 
via the Federal eRulemaking Portal Web site at http://www.regulations.gov under e-Docket ID number USCIS-2008-0025 or via 
email at [email protected]. All submissions received must 
include the agency name and the OMB Control Number 1615-0052.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments

    Regardless of the method used for submitting comments or material, 
all submissions will be posted, without change, to the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal at 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. For additional information

[[Page 17221]]

please read the Privacy Act notice that is available via the link in 
the footer of 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. Pub. L. 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 Department of Justice and 
Department of 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 Request: 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: 6,182,108 Hours. This is a change from the 
estimated burden per response reported on the 60-day Federal Register 
Notice published at 77 FR 75440.
    If you need a copy of the information collection instrument with 
supplementary documents, or need additional information, please visit 
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 202-272-
8377.

    Dated: March 15, 2013.
Laura Dawkins,
Chief, Regulatory Coordination Division, Office of Policy and Strategy, 
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of Homeland 
Security.
[FR Doc. 2013-06435 Filed 3-19-13; 8:45 am]
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