[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
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    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
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    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
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Sub-Total...................................................  ..............  ..............         790,429
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
        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]
 BILLING CODE 9111-28-P