[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 160 (Tuesday, August 18, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50832-50833]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-18020]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

[OMB Control Number 1615-0101]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Revision of a Currently 
Approved Collection: Verification Request and Verification Request 
Supplement

AGENCY: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of 
Homeland Security.

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 (PRA) 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.

DATES: Comments are encouraged and will be accepted for 60 days until 
October 19, 2020.

ADDRESSES: All submissions received must include the OMB Control Number

[[Page 50833]]

1615-0101 in the body of the letter, the agency name and Docket ID 
USCIS-2008-0008. Submit comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal 
website at https://www.regulations.gov under e-Docket ID number USCIS-
2008-0008. USCIS is limiting communications for this Notice as a result 
of USCIS' COVID-19 response actions.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: USCIS, Office of Policy and Strategy, 
Regulatory Coordination Division, Samantha Deshommes, Chief, telephone 
number 202-272-8377 (This is not a toll-free number. Comments are not 
accepted via telephone message). Please note contact information 
provided here is solely for questions regarding this notice. It is not 
for individual case status inquiries. Applicants seeking information 
about the status of their individual cases can check Case Status 
Online, available at the USCIS website at https://www.uscis.gov, or 
call the USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283 (TTY 800-767-1833).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Comments

    You may access the information collection instrument with 
instructions or additional information by visiting the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal site at: https://www.regulations.gov and entering 
USCIS-2008-0008 in the search box. All submissions will be posted, 
without change, to the Federal eRulemaking Portal at https://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 https://www.regulations.gov.
    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.

Overview of This Information Collection

    (1) Type of Information Collection: Revision of a Currently 
Approved Collection.
    (2) Title of the Form/Collection: Verification Request and 
Verification Request Supplement.
    (3) Agency form number, if any, and the applicable component of the 
DHS sponsoring the collection: G-845; USCIS.
    (4) Affected public who will be asked or required to respond, as 
well as a brief abstract: Primary: Federal Government; State, local or 
Tribal Government. In the verification process, a participating agency 
validates an applicant's immigration status by inputting identifying 
information into the Verification Information System (VIS), which 
executes immigration status queries against a range of data sources. If 
VIS returns an immigration status and the benefit-issuing agency does 
not find a material discrepancy with the response and the documents 
provided by the applicant, the verification process is complete. Then, 
the agency may use that immigration status information in determining 
whether or not to issue the benefit. In some cases, agencies that do 
not access the automated verification system may query USCIS by filing 
Form G-845. Although the Form G-845 does not require it, if needed 
certain agencies may also file the Form G-845 Supplement with the Form 
G-845, along with copies of immigration documents to receive additional 
information necessary to make their benefit determinations. These forms 
were developed to facilitate communication between all benefit-granting 
agencies and USCIS to ensure that basic information required to assess 
status verification requests is provided. USCIS is making minor 
revisions to the Form G-845 and is streamlining the Form G-845 
Supplement with additional immigration statuses that are commonly 
requested by agencies in order to make their benefit determinations.
    (5) An estimate of the total number of respondents and the amount 
of time estimated for an average respondent to respond: The estimated 
total number of respondents for the information collection VIS Query is 
19,916,942 and the estimated hour burden per response is 0.083 hour. 
The estimated total number of respondents for the information 
collection G-845 is 7 and the estimated hour burden per response is 
0.083 hour. The estimated total number of respondents for the 
information collection G-845 Supplement is 44 and the estimated hour 
burden per response is 0.083 hour.
    (6) An estimate of the total public burden (in hours) associated 
with the collection: The total estimated annual hour burden associated 
with this collection is 1,653,110 hours.
    (7) An estimate of the total public burden (in cost) associated 
with the collection: The estimated total annual cost burden associated 
with this collection of information is $63.

    Dated: August 11, 2020.
Samantha L. Deshommes,
Chief, Regulatory Coordination Division, Office of Policy and Strategy, 
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of Homeland 
Security.
[FR Doc. 2020-18020 Filed 8-17-20; 8:45 am]
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