[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 176 (Wednesday, September 13, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62810-62812]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-19720]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

[OMB Control Number 1651-0143]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Revision of an Existing 
Collection of Information; Advance Travel Authorization (ATA)

AGENCY: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Department of 
Homeland Security.

ACTION: 60-Day notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border 
Protection (CBP) will be submitting the following information 
collection request

[[Page 62811]]

to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in 
accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). The 
information collection is published in the Federal Register to obtain 
comments from the public and affected agencies.

DATES: Comments are encouraged and must be submitted no later than 
November 13, 2023 to be assured of consideration.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and/or suggestions regarding the item(s) 
contained in this notice must include the OMB Control Number 1651-0143 
in the subject line and the agency name. Please use the following 
method to submit comments:
    Email. Submit comments to: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional PRA 
information should be directed to Seth Renkema, Chief, Economic Impact 
Analysis Branch, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Trade, 
Regulations and Rulings, 90 K Street NE, 10th Floor, Washington, DC 
20229-1177, Telephone number 202-325-0056 or via email 
[email protected]. Please note that the contact information provided 
here is solely for questions regarding this notice. Individuals seeking 
information about other CBP programs should contact the CBP National 
Customer Service Center at 877-227-5511, (TTY) 1-800-877-8339, or CBP 
website at https://www.cbp.gov/.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: CBP invites the general public and other 
Federal agencies to comment on the proposed and/or continuing 
information collections pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). This process is conducted in accordance with 
5 CFR 1320.8. Written comments and suggestions from the public and 
affected agencies should address one or more of the following four 
points: (1) 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) 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) suggestions to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected; and (4) suggestions to 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. The comments that are submitted will be summarized and 
included in the request for approval. All comments will become a matter 
of public record.

Overview of This Information Collection

    Title: Advance Travel Authorization (ATA).
    OMB Number: 1651-0143.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Current Actions: Revision to an existing collection of information 
with an increase in total annual burden.
    Type of Review: Revision.
    Affected Public: Individuals.
    Abstract: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) established new 
parole processes to allow certain noncitizens and their qualifying 
immediate family members to request advance authorization to travel to 
the United States to seek a discretionary grant of parole, issued on a 
case-by-case basis. To support these processes, U.S. Customs and Border 
Protection (CBP) developed the Advance Travel Authorization (ATA) 
capability, which allows individuals to submit information within the 
CBP OneTM application as part of the process. Through an 
emergency approval, CBP established the ATA collection. Initially, this 
capability was utilized by Venezuelan citizens and their qualifying 
immediate family members seeking authorization to travel to the United 
States under the DHS-established parole process for Venezuelans.\1\ DHS 
later developed similar parole processes for citizens of Cuba,\2\ 
Haiti,\3\ and Nicaragua \4\ and their qualifying immediate family 
members. The four processes are collectively known as CHNV. There is no 
numerical cap on the number of noncitizens from these four countries 
who may apply; however, there is a 30,000 limit on the number of travel 
authorizations DHS may issue each month across all four processes. 
Additionally, participation is limited in the ATA capability to those 
individuals who meet certain DHS-established criteria, including but 
not limited to, possession of a valid, unexpired passport, as well as 
having an approved U.S.-based financial supporter.
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    \1\ 87 FR 63507 (Oct. 19, 2023); see also 88 FR 1279 (Jan. 9, 
2023).
    \2\ 88 FR 1266 (Jan. 9, 2023); see also 88 FR 26329 (Apr. 28, 
2023).
    \3\ 88 FR 1243 (Jan. 9, 2023); see also 26 FR 327 (Apr. 28, 
2023).
    \4\ 88 FR 1255 (Jan. 9, 2023).
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    ATA requires the collection of a facial photograph via CBP 
OneTM from those noncitizens who voluntarily elect to 
participate in the process to provide accurate identity information for 
completion of vetting in advance of issuance of a travel authorization.

Advance Travel Authorization (ATA)

    The facial biometrics collected from the noncitizens will be linked 
to biographic information provided by the individual to U.S. 
Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). This information 
collection will facilitate the vetting of noncitizens seeking to obtain 
advance authorization to travel. This collection will also give air 
carriers that participate in CBP's Document Validation (DocVal) program 
the ability to validate an approved advance authorization to travel, 
facilitating generation of a noncitizen's boarding pass without having 
to use other manual validation processes.
    CBP OneTM allows the user to capture the required 
biometrics, currently limited to a live facial photograph, and confirm 
submission after viewing the captured image. If the user is not 
satisfied with the image captured, the user can retake the image. If 
the image capture is unsuccessful, CBP OneTM will provide 
the user with an error message stating that the submission was 
unsuccessful and permitting the user to try again. If the user 
continues to experience technical difficulties, the CBP 
OneTM application provides a help desk email to request 
assistance.
    CBP conducts vetting to determine whether the individual poses a 
security risk to the United States, and to determine whether the 
individual is eligible to receive advance authorization to travel to 
the United States to seek a discretionary grant of parole at the port 
of entry (POE). In the event that an advance authorization to travel 
may be denied because of a facial photograph match found in criminal 
databases or if there is a mismatch that limits the ability to confirm 
identity, then the match or mismatch will be verified by a CBP officer 
before the advance travel authorization is officially denied. 
Currently, ATA collects certain limited biographic and biometric 
information, and biometric collection is limited to the collection of a 
live facial photograph.
    If the advance travel authorization is denied, the individual will 
not be authorized to travel to the United States to seek parole under 
this process. In the event that the user is not authorized to travel 
under this process, the user may still seek entry to the United States 
through another process, including by filing a request for 
consideration of parole with USCIS or applying with the

[[Page 62812]]

Department of State (DOS) to obtain a visa. If travel authorization is 
approved, the approval establishes that the individual has obtained 
advance authorization to travel to the United States to seek a 
discretionary grant of parole, consistent with 8 CFR 212.5(f), but does 
not guarantee boarding or a specific processing disposition at a POE. 
Upon arrival at a U.S. POE, the traveler will be subject to inspection 
by a CBP officer, who will make a case-by-case processing disposition 
determination.
    This collection of information is authorized by 8 U.S.C. 1103 and 
1182(d)(5), and 8 CFR 212.5(f). DHS has also publicly announced the 
policy and accompanying collection on its website and has also 
published a Federal Register notice for each of the named countries.
    CBP OneTM collects the following information from the 
individual submitting a request for an advance authorization to travel 
to the United States to seek parole under this process:

1. Facial Photograph
2. Photo obtained from the passport or Chip on ePassport, where 
available
3. Alien Registration Number
4. First and Last Name
5. Date of Birth
6. Passport Number

    Additionally, CBP further revised this collection through another 
emergency submission to allow individuals seeking to travel to the 
United States as part of the Family Reunification Parole (FRP) 
processes for certain nationals of Cuba,\5\ Haiti,\6\ Colombia,\7\ 
Guatemala,\8\ Honduras,\9\ and El Salvador \10\ to use the existing ATA 
capability to submit information to CBP. The FRP processes begin with 
an invitation being sent to a petitioner who previously received an 
approved Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, on behalf of the 
potential principal beneficiary, and if applicable, the beneficiary's 
accompanying derivative beneficiaries. The petitioner then submits a 
Form I-134A, Online Request to be a Supporter and Declaration of 
Financial Support, on behalf of the potential principal beneficiary, 
and if applicable, the beneficiary's accompanying derivative 
beneficiaries. For those petitioners whose Form I-134A is confirmed by 
USCIS, the beneficiaries will receive an email with instructions to 
create an online account with myUSCIS. There, the potential beneficiary 
will confirm their biographic information and complete attestations, 
and then receive instructions to download the CBP OneTM 
mobile application to continue through the process. USCIS will send the 
biographic information to CBP. Additionally, once the beneficiary 
completes their CBP OneTM submission, utilizing the ATA 
capability, CBP will conduct vetting, and if appropriate, issue an 
advance authorization to travel. The information collected as part of 
these new processes is the same as that which is already collected from 
other populations through ATA. This information collection will 
facilitate the vetting of noncitizens seeking to obtain advance 
authorization to travel and will give air carriers that participate in 
CBP's DocVal program the ability to validate an approved travel 
authorization, facilitating generation of a noncitizen's boarding pass 
without having to use other manual validation processes.
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    \5\ 88 FR 54639 (Aug. 11, 2023).
    \6\ 88 FR 54635 (Aug. 11, 2023).
    \7\ 88 FR 43591 (July 10, 2023).
    \8\ 88 FR 43581 (July 10, 2023).
    \9\ 88 FR 43601 (July 10, 2023).
    \10\ 88 FR 43611 (July 10, 2023).
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New Changes

    1. Adding Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) respondent group to collection: 
In response to the President's commitment to welcome 100,000 Ukrainian 
citizens and others fleeing Russia's aggression, DHS, in coordination 
with DOS, established the Uniting for Ukraine \11\ (U4U) parole process 
on April 25, 2022. This process allows Ukrainian citizens and their 
qualifying family members the ability to submit certain personal 
information to USCIS and CBP to facilitate the issuance of an advance 
authorization to travel to the United States to seek parole. At the 
time U4U was implemented, full ATA capability was not yet developed and 
CBP uses different processes to screen and vet Ukrainians seeking 
parole. Currently, individuals seeking to travel under U4U do not 
utilize CBP OneTM or the ATA capability during their 
process. To align U4U with the other DHS parole processes, including 
CHNV and FRP, the ATA capability will be implemented for those 
individuals requesting authorization to fly directly to the United 
States to seek a discretionary grant of parole. The ATA capability will 
be added as part of a step in the U4U process to facilitate the vetting 
of noncitizens seeking to obtain advance authorization to travel and 
will give air carriers that participate in CBP's DocVal program the 
ability to validate an approved travel authorization, facilitating 
generation of a noncitizen's boarding pass without having to use other 
manual validation processes.
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    \11\ See Implementation of the Uniting for Ukraine Parole 
Process, 87 FR 25040 (Apr. 25, 2022).
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    2. Adjusted Burden: Furthermore, coinciding with USCIS, CBP has 
added to the burden estimate for this collection, to account for any 
potential expansion(s) that align with new or revised policies or 
processing capacity over the next three years.
    3. New Data Element: This revision also adds a new data element to 
this collection; the physical location (longitude/latitude) at the time 
of any biometric information submission. This data element will further 
secure the submission process and provide accurate identity information 
for completion of vetting in advance of issuance of a travel 
authorization.
    CBP invites comments from the public on all changes established by 
previously approved emergency submissions and the new proposed 
revisions listed in this FRN.
    Type of Information Collection: Advance Travel Authorization (ATA).
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 562,000.
    Estimated Number of Annual Responses per Respondent: 1.
    Estimated Number of Total Annual Responses: 562,000.
    Estimated Time per Response: 10 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 93,667.

    Dated: September 7, 2023.
Seth D. Renkema,
Branch Chief, Economic Impact Analysis Branch, U.S. Customs and Border 
Protection.
[FR Doc. 2023-19720 Filed 9-12-23; 8:45 am]
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