[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 47 (Monday, March 11, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8735-8737]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-04335]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
[OMB Control Number 1653-0054]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Extension of an
Existing Information Collection: Training Plan for Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Optional Practical Training (OPT)
Students
AGENCY: Student Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), U.S. Immigration and
Customs Enforcement (ICE), Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
ACTION: 30-Day notice and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: DHS ICE SEVP will submit the following information collection
request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and
clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995.
DHS previously published this information collection request in the
Federal Register on Thursday, November 1, 2018, for a 60-day public
comment period. Two comments were received. The purpose of this notice
is to allow an additional 30 days for public comments.
[[Page 8736]]
To provide greater transparency, ICE is providing clarification of the
changes in the 30-day notice. The changes to the collection were to
increase the burden estimates based on the anticipated increase in the
number of students enrolled in STEM. There were no other changes to the
collection or form.
This notice of update for the information collection is published
in the Federal Register to obtain comments from the public and affected
agencies. You may access the updated Supporting Statement to this
notice by visiting the Federal eRulemaking Portal site at: http://www.regulations.gov and enter ICEB-2018-0003-0001 in the search box.
DATES: Comments are encouraged and will be accepted until April 10,
2019.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments on
the information collection to the Office of Information and Regulatory
Affairs, Office of Management and Budget. Comments should be directed
to OMB Desk Officer via electronic mail to [email protected].
All submissions received must include the agency name and the OMB
Control Number 1653-0054 in the subject line.
Comments submitted in response to this notice may be made available
to the public through relevant websites. For this reason, please do not
include in your comments information of a confidential nature, such as
sensitive personal information or proprietary information. If you send
an email comment, your email address will be automatically captured and
included as part of the comment that is placed in the public docket and
made available on the internet. Please note that responses to this
public comment request containing any routine notice about the
confidentiality of the communication will be treated as public comments
that may be made available to the public notwithstanding the inclusion
of the routine notice.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Form I-983, ``Training Plan'' is an
information collection directed in the rulemaking, ``Improving and
Expanding Training Opportunities for F-1 Nonimmigrant Students with
STEM Degrees and Cap-Gap Relief for All Eligible F-1 Students,'' cited
above. The final rule was published on March 11, 2016, and went into
effect on May 10, 2016.
The Form I-983 serves as a planning document for those F-1
nonimmigrant students who are eligible for an extension of their
optional practical training (OPT) benefit and who elect to do so. To be
eligible for the extension, students must have completed a degree in a
Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) field approved
by the Department of Homeland Security and must already be engaged in
post-completion OPT. The information collection requires input from the
student, the SEVP certified school that recommends the student, and the
employer.
During the 60-day public commenting period, two comments were
received. Both commenters requested clarification on the nature of the
changes to the information collection. In response to these comments,
ICE is providing an explanation of the changes in the 30-day notice.
The changes to the collection were to increase the burden estimates
based on the anticipated increase in the number of students enrolled in
STEM. There were no other changes to the collection or form.
OMB is particularly interested in comments that:
(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 using appropriate automated, electronic,
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms
of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of
responses.
Overview of Updated Information Collection
(1) Type of Information Collection: Extension of a currently
approved information collection.
(2) Title of the Form/Collection: Training Plan for STEM OPT
Students.
(3) Agency form number, if any, and the applicable component of the
Department of Homeland Security sponsoring the collection: Form I-983,
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
(4) Affected public who will be asked or required to respond, as
well as a brief abstract: Primary: Individuals or households. The Form
I-983 serves as a planning document for STEM OPT students, the SEVP-
certified school, and the employer. The Training Plan for STEM OPT
students serves as an evidentiary document for SEVP by setting forth
the terms and conditions of the practical training, documenting the
obligations of the three parties that are involved--the F student, the
SEVP-certified school, and the employer--and by tracking the student's
progress. The student and the employer must each complete and sign
their part of the Form I-983. The SEVP-certified school will
incorporate the completed and signed Form I-983, as part of the
student's school file. The SEVP-certified school will make the
student's Form I-983 available to DHS upon request.
(5) An estimate of the total number of responses and the amount of
time estimated for an average respondent (student, DSO, or employer) to
respond:
Table--Calculation of Estimated Annual Reporting Burden for Training Plan
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Time per
Function Average annual response Average annual
responses (hours) hour burden
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Student Burden
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Initial Completion of Training Plan............................. 166,406 2.17 361,101
12-month Evaluation Requirements................................ 166,406 1.50 249,609
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Sub-Total................................................... .............. .............. 610,710
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DSO Burden
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Initial Review of Training Plan & Recordkeeping................. 166,406 1.33 221,320
[[Page 8737]]
Review of Evaluation & Recordkeeping............................ 166,406 1.33 221,320
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Sub-Total................................................... .............. .............. 442,640
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Employer Burden
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Initial completion of Training Plan............................. 166,406 4.00 665,624
Evaluation Requirements......................................... 166,406 0.75 124,805
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Sub-Total................................................... .............. .............. 790,429
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Total Burden Hours...................................... .............. .............. 1,843,779
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(6) An estimate of the total public burden (in hours) associated
with the collection: 1,843,779 annual burden hours.
Note: SEVP saw an annual increase of 124,314 responses in each
respondent group: Students, DSOs, and employers during this
reporting cycle. This reflects an unanticipated industry growth.
SEVP subject matter experts predict a one percent increase of STEM
OPT participants during the next three years.
SEVP subject matter experts anticipate a reduction in DSO burden
during the next three years as technical improvements, such as the new
Portal, are more fully deployed. Table 3 shows the differences between
the current estimates and the previous supporting statement.
Table 1--Summary of Current Estimates and Differences
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Nonimmigrant DSO Employer Total
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Respondents:
Current..................................... 166,406 166,406 166,406 499,218
Last Supporting Statement................... 42,092 42,092 42,092 126,276
Difference.................................. 124,314 124,314 124,314 372,942
Burden Hours:
Current..................................... 610,710 442,640 790,429 1,843,778
Last Supporting Statement................... 196,429 149,286 220,983 566,698
Difference.................................. 414,281 293,354 569,446 1,277,080
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(7) An estimate of the total public burden (in cost) associated
with the collection: $102,056,286.
Dated: March 6, 2019.
Scott Elmore,
PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer, U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security.
[FR Doc. 2019-04335 Filed 3-8-19; 8:45 am]
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