[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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