2012-23813. Agency Information Collection Activities: National Interest Waivers, Supplemental Evidence to I-140 and I-485, Form Number No Form; Extension, Without Change, of a Currently Approved Collection

ACTION:

30-day notice.

SUMMARY:

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will be submitting the following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The information collection notice was previously published in the Federal Register on June 1, 2012, at 77 FR 32660, allowing for a 60-day public comment period. USCIS did receive one comment in connection with the 60-day notice. The comment received was the writer's statement that the USCIS Form I-140 should be discontinued and that USCIS Form I-145 should have the associated fee raised. USCIS will not be discontinuing the form I-130 and a fee study was done to determine the appropriate fee amount for the I-145; no change will be made based upon the comment received.

DATES:

The purpose of this notice is to allow an additional 30 days for public comments. Comments are encouraged and will be accepted until October 29, 2012. This process is conducted in accordance with 5 CFR 1320.10.

ADDRESSES:

Written comments and/or suggestions regarding the item(s) contained in this notice, especially regarding the estimated public burden and associated response time, should be directed to DHS, and to the OMB USCIS Desk Officer. Comments may be submitted to: DHS, USCIS, Office of Policy and Strategy, Chief, Regulatory Coordination Division, 20 Massachusetts Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20529-2020. Comments may also be submitted to DHS via email at [e-mail], to the OMB USCIS Desk Officer via facsimile at 202-395-5806 or via email at [e-mail] and via the Federal eRulemaking Portal Web site at http://www.regulations.gov under e-Docket ID number USCIS-2008-0003. When submitting comments by email, please make sure to add [Insert OMB Control Number] in the subject box.

All submissions received must include the agency name, OMB Control Number and Docket ID. Regardless of the method used for submitting comments or material, all submissions will be posted, without change, to the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://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. For additional information please read the Privacy Act notice that is available via the link in the footer of http://www.regulations.gov.

Note:

The address listed in this notice should only be used to submit comments concerning this information collection. Please do not submit requests for individual case status inquiries to this address. If you are seeking information about the status of your individual case, please check “My Case Status” online at: https://egov.uscis.gov/​cris/​Dashboard.do, or call the USCIS National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283.

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 agencies' 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 Request: Extension, Without Change, of a Currently Approved Collection.

(2) Title of the Form/Collection: National Interest Waivers, Supplemental Evidence to I-140 and I-485.

(3) Agency form number, if any, and the applicable component of the DHS sponsoring the collection: No Form; USCIS.

(4) Affected public who will be asked or required to respond, as well as a brief abstract: Primary: Individuals or households. The supplemental documentation will be used by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to determine eligibility for national interest waiver requests for physicians and to finalize the request for adjustment to lawful permanent resident status.

(5) An estimate of the total number of respondents and the amount of time estimated for an average respondent to respond: 8,000 respondents responding an estimated 2 times per year with an estimated hour burden per response of 1 hour.

(6) An estimate of the total public burden (in hours) associated with the collection: 16,000.

If you need a copy of the information collection instrument with supplementary documents, or need additional information, please visit http://www.regulations.gov. We may also be contacted at: USCIS, Office of Policy and Strategy, Regulatory Coordination Division, 20 Massachusetts Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20529-2020; Telephone [phone].

Dated: September 24, 2012.

Laura Dawkins,

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