SUPPORTING STATEMENT
Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition
(Form I-730)
A. Justification:
Sections 207(c)(2) and 208(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (Act) provide benefits for the spouse and/or children of aliens who were granted refugee or asylum status. This form will be used by an asylee or refugee to file on behalf of his/her spouse and/or children provided that the relationship to the asylee/refugee existed prior to their admission to the United States.
2. The data collected on this form is used by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to determine eligibility for the requested immigration benefit. If derivative asylee/refugee status is granted to the beneficiary, the data collected on and in conjunction with this form, including biometric data (e.g., fingerprints and photographs), will also be used for purposes of conducting background and security checks, such as FBI criminal history record checks. If derivative asylee/refugee status is granted to the beneficiary, the information will also be used to produce a secure Employment Authorization Document (EAD) with biometric identifiers as required by section 309 of the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Reform Act of 2002, codified at 8 U.S.C. 1738. The form serves the purpose of standardizing requests for the benefit, and ensuring that the basic information required to assess eligibility is provided by the applicants.
At this time, this form provides the most efficient means for collecting and processing the required data. This form has been designated for e-filing under the Business Transformation Project.
A review of the Forms Inventory Report revealed no duplication of effort, and there is no other similar information currently available that can be used for this purpose.
5. This collection does not have an impact on small businesses or other small entities.
6. If the information is not collected and presented to USCIS, there is no mechanism for qualifying family members to be reunited with their family who have resettled in the United States. The collection of this information is necessary to obtain this immigration benefit.
7. There are no special circumstances associated with this information collection.
8. USCIS published a 60 Day Notice on May 4, 2007 in the Federal Register as 72 FR 25326 allowing for public comment. USCIS did not receive any comments.
9. USCIS does not provide payments or gifts to respondents in exchange for a benefit sought.
10. There is no assurance of confidentiality.
11. There are no questions of a sensitive nature.
12. Annual Reporting Burden:
Number of Respondents 86,400
Number of Responses per Respondent 1
Total Annual Response 86,400
Hours per Response .583
Total Annual Reporting Burden 50,371
The projected hours per response for this collection of information were derived by first breaking the process into three basic components:
Learning about the Law and the Form 10 minutes
Completion of the Form 10 minutes
Assembling and Filing the Form 15 minutes
Total Hours per Response 35 minutes
For the first two components, we used tests to determine completion times. People who were not conversant with immigration processes were used to determine average completion time. The third component of the process, “Assembling and Filing the Form,” was broken down into subtasks. For example, the form can be mailed to a USCIS office or filed in person. Therefore, the time necessary to actually file the form can vary widely depending on the circumstances of the applicant.
Total annual reporting burden hours is 50,371. This figure was derived by multiplying the number of respondents (86,400) x frequency of response (1) x hours per response .583 (35 minutes).
13. There are no capital or start-up costs associated with this information collection. Any cost burdens to respondents as a result of this collection are identified in item 14. There are no fee charges associated with this collection of information.
14. Annualized Cost Analysis:
Printing Cost $ 38,880
Collecting and Processing $ 3,417,120
Total Cost to Program $ 3,456,000
Fee Charge $ 0
Total Cost to Government $ 3,456,000
Government Cost
The cost of the program to the Government is $ 3,456,000. This figure is calculated by multiplying the estimated number of respondents (86,400) multiplied by 1 hour (time required to collect and process information) x $40 (suggested average hourly rate for clerical, officer, and managerial time with benefits). In addition, the cost includes estimated overhead cost for printing, stocking, distributing and processing of this form.
The estimated annual public cost is $503,710. This is based on the number of respondents (86,400) x 35 minutes (.583) per response x $10 (average hourly rate).
15. There has been no increase or decrease in the estimated annual burden hours previously reported for this information collection. There is a decrease in the annual public burden cost of $35,026,000. When USCIS provided it’s last submission it indicated on Form OMB 83-I that the annualized cost should be zero. During USCIS’ prior submissions the Government costs were inadvertently included as the annual cost on the public.
16. USCIS does not intend to employ the use of statistics or the publication thereof for this collection of information.
17. USCIS will display the expiration date on this information collection.
18. USCIS does not request an exception to the certification of this information collection.
Collection of Information Employing Statistical Methods.
Not applicable.
C. Certification and Signature.
_______________________________________ _____________
Chief,
Regulatory Management Division,
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
| File Type | application/msword |
| File Title | SUPPORTING STATEMENT |
| Author | Sherry Atkins |
| Last Modified By | Kathryn Catania |
| File Modified | 2007-06-20 |
| File Created | 2007-06-20 |