[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 50 (Wednesday, March 17, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14665-14666]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-05479]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice: 11375]


30-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Refugee 
Biographic Data

ACTION: Notice of request for public comment and submission to OMB of 
proposed collection of information.

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SUMMARY: The Department of State has submitted the information 
collection described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
for approval. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 we 
are requesting comments on this collection from all interested 
individuals and organizations. The purpose of this Notice is to allow 
30 days for public comment.

DATES: Submit comments up to April 16, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular 
information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Direct requests for additional 
information regarding the collection listed in this notice, including 
requests for copies of the proposed collection instrument and 
supporting documents, to Delicia Spruell, PRM/Admissions, 2025 E Street 
NW, SA-9, 8th Floor, Washington, DC 20522-0908, who may be reached on 
(202) 453-9257 or (202) 568-2964 or at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
     Title of Information Collection: Refugee Biographic Data.
     OMB Control Number: 1405-0102.
     Type of Request: Revision of a Currently Approved 
Collection.
     Originating Office: Bureau of Population, Refugees, and 
Migration, Office of Admissions, PRM/A.
     Form Number: No form.
     Respondents: Refugee applicants for the U.S. Refugee 
Admissions Program.
     Estimated Number of Respondents: 15,000.
     Estimated Number of Responses: 10,124.
     Average Time per Response: 3 hours.
     Total Estimated Burden Time: 30,372.
     Frequency: Once per respondent.
     Obligation to Respond: Required to Obtain a Benefit.
    We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department to:
     Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is 
necessary for the proper functions of the Department.
     Evaluate the accuracy of our estimate of the time and cost 
burden for this proposed collection, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used.
     Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected.
     Minimize the reporting burden on those who are to respond, 
including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of 
information technology.
    Please note that comments submitted in response to this Notice are 
public record. Before including any detailed personal information, you 
should be aware that your comments as submitted, including your 
personal information, will be available for public review.

Abstract of Proposed Collection

    The Refugee Biographic Data Sheet includes a refugee applicant's 
personal information and is needed to initiate refugee resettlement 
processing, adjudicate the refugee applicant's application for 
admission to the United States, to run security checks on refugee 
applicants by law enforcement and intelligence communities, to conduct 
medical screenings, and to plan international travel before a refugee 
applicant can be approved to travel to the United States. In addition, 
the information is used to match the refugee with a sponsoring 
voluntary agency for initial reception and placement in the U.S. under 
the United States Refugee Admissions Program administered by the Bureau 
of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM).
    The information collected includes date and place of birth, gender, 
contact information, including social media handles, marital status, 
family ties, religion, ethnic group, background, education, occupation, 
skills, medical information, English language ability, associated 
family members' refugee resettlement cases, and identity documents. The 
data is used to initiate refugee resettlement processing, to adjudicate 
the refugee claim by USCIS, to run security checks on refugees by law 
enforcement and intelligence communities before refugees can be 
approved to travel to the United States. Data is also provided to 
conduct a medical screening before the refugee's arrival in the United 
States, to plan the refugee's international travel, and to resettlement 
agencies to determine an appropriate resettlement location in the 
United States. If the data were not collected, refugees could not be 
properly vetted by law enforcement and intelligence communities, and 
therefore refugee applicants could no longer be processed through the 
U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. In addition, the resettlement agencies 
would not be able to provide appropriate initial reception and 
placement services as provided for in the Refugee Act.

Methodology

    Biographic information is collected in a face-to-face intake 
process with the applicant overseas. An employee of a Resettlement 
Support Center, under cooperative agreement with PRM, collects the 
information and enters it into the Worldwide Refugee Admissions 
Processing System. The Department is also building a new case 
management system to replace WRAPS to allow for more effective and 
efficient electronic management of refugee resettlement

[[Page 14666]]

cases. This system, called START, will perform the same overall 
functions as the WRAPS system. The Department began deployment of START 
in late 2020 and expects full deployment to all locations worldwide by 
late 2021. The Department has designed this data collection to make 
most efficient use of digital data capture. While this does not 
represent a complete end-to-end electronic process, it equates to 
paperwork reduction by incorporation of the electronic entry of intake 
responses.

Lawrence E. Bartlett,
Director, Office of Admissions, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and 
Migration, Department of State.
[FR Doc. 2021-05479 Filed 3-16-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-33-P