2021-18850. Agency Information Collection Activities; Revision of a Currently Approved Collection: H-1B Registration Tool

AGENCY:

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

ACTION:

60-Day notice.

SUMMARY:

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on 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 November 1, 2021.

ADDRESSES:

All submissions received must include the OMB Control Number 1615-0144 in the body of the letter, the agency name and Docket ID USCIS-2008-0014. Submit comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal website at https://www.regulations.gov under e-Docket ID number USCIS-2008-0014.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

USCIS, Office of Policy and Strategy, Regulatory Coordination Division, Samantha Deshommes, Chief, telephone number [phone] (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

USCIS is requesting public comments on this revision of the H-1B Registration Tool. The information collection instrument posted with this 60-day Federal Register Notice includes changes associated with the final rule USCIS published on January 8, 2021 titled, Modification of Registration Requirement for Petitioners Seeking To File Cap-Subject H-1B Petitions (86 FR 1676) (H-1B Selection Final Rule). The hour and cost time burden estimates provided in this Federal Register Notice also include the time and cost burden estimates that are associated with the H-1B Selection Final Rule. On February 8, 2021, USCIS published a rule delaying the effective date of the H-1B Selection Final Rule to December 31, 2021, titled, Modification of Registration Requirement for Petitioners Seeking To File Cap-Subject H-1B Petitions; Delay of Effective Date (86 FR 8543). The H-1B Selection Final Rule related changes to the information collection instrument will not be implemented before that rule's new effective date, December 31, 2021.

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-2008-0014 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: H-1B Registration Tool.

(3) Agency form number, if any, and the applicable component of the DHS sponsoring the collection: OMB-64; USCIS.

(4) Affected public who will be asked or required to respond, as well as a brief abstract: Primary: Business or other for-profit. USCIS will use the data collected through the H-1B Registration Tool to select a sufficient number of registrations projected to meet the applicable H-1B cap allocations and to notify registrants whether their registration was selected.

(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 business or other for-profit respondents for the information collection H-1B Registration Tool is 35,500 with an estimated 3 responses per respondents and an estimated hour burden per response of 1.083 hours. The estimated total number of attorney respondents for the information collection H-1B Registration Tool is 4,500 with an estimated 38 responses per respondents and an estimated hour burden per response of 1.083 hours.

(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 300,533 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 $0. Any costs to respondents are captured in the Form I-129 information collection (OMB control number 1615-009).

Dated: August 27, 2021.

Samantha L. Deshommes,

Chief, Regulatory Coordination Division, Office of Policy and Strategy, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of Homeland Security.