Supporting Statement
Application for Premium Processing Service
A. Justification.
1. Under section 286(u) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (Act), USCIS can collect a “premium processing” fee to process certain employment-based requests within 15-calendar days. USCIS collects the premium processing fee in addition to the regular filing fee it collects to process the employment-based request. This information collection is necessary to ensure that employment-based petitioners can request premium processing in accordance with the Act.
2. USCIS uses the data collected through this form to process a request for premium processing. The form serves the purpose of standardizing requests for premium processing, and will ensure that basic information required to assess eligibility is provided by the employers/petitioners.
3. The use of this form provides the most efficient means for collecting and processing the required data. This form resides on the USCIS Web site. It can be completed electronically and e-filed by logging into USCIS’s E-Filing system. The urls are http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis and
https://efiling.uscis.dhs.gov/efile/.
4. A review of the USCIS 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 of information does not have an impact on small businesses or other small entities.
6. If the information is not collected, USCIS will not be able to effectively process requests for premium processing.
7. There are no special circumstances applicable to this information collection.
8. On April 12, 2011 USCIS published a 60-day notice in connection with this information collection in the Federal Register at 76 FR 20361. USCIS did not receive any comments in connection with this notice. On July 8, 2011 USCIS published a 30-day notice in connection with this information collection in the Federal Register at 76 FR 40385. USCIS did not receive any comments in connection with this notice.
9. USCIS does not provide payments or gifts to respondents in exchange for a benefit sought.
10. There is no assurance of confidentiality. The system of record notice associated with this information collection is United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Benefits Information System, which was published in the Federal Register on September 29, 2008 at 73 FR 56596. The privacy impact assessment associated with this information collection is USCIS Benefits Processing of Applicants other than Petitions for Naturalization, Refugee Status, and Asylum (Dated September 5, 2008).
11. There are no questions of a sensitive nature.
12. Annual Reporting Burden: Filing by Mail Electronically
a. Number of Respondents 96,000 4,000
b. Number of Responses per Respondent 1 1
c. Total annual Response 96,000 4,000
d. Hours for Response .50 .333
e. Total Annual Reporting Burden 48,000 1,332
Filing by Mail Electronically
Learning about the Law and the Form: 10 Minutes 10 Minutes
Completing the Form: 5 Minutes 10 Minutes
Filing the Form: 15 Minutes 0 Minutes
Total Hours per response: 30 (.50) Minutes 20 (.333) Minutes
Total annual reporting burden hours are 49,332. This figure was derived by multiplying the number of respondents filing by mail (96,000) x (1) frequency of response x .50 (30 minutes) per response; plus multiplying the number of respondents filing electronically (4,000) x (1) frequency of response x .333 (20 minutes) per response.
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 is a $1,225 fee associated with the collection of this information.
14. Annualized Cost Analysis
a. Printing Cost $ 20,000
b. Collecting and Processing $ 122,480,000
c. Total Annual Cost $122,500,000
d. Fee Charge $122,500,000
e. Total Cost to Government $ 0
Government Cost
The estimated cost of the program to the Government is calculated by multiplying the estimated number of respondents 100,000 x $1,225 the suggested fee charge (The processing fee is set by section 286(u) of the Act and is used to provide certain premium-processing services to business customers, and to make infrastructure improvements in the adjudications and customer-service processes). This fee also includes a percent of the estimated overhead cost for printing, stocking, distributing and processing of this form.
The estimated annual public burden cost is $1,516,465. This figure was derived by multiplying the number of respondents filing by mail 96,000 x (1) frequency of response x .50 (30 minutes) per response x $30.74 (average hourly rate for respondent); plus multiplying the number of respondents filing electronically 4,000 x (1) frequency of response x.333 (20 minutes) per response x $30.74 (average hourly rate for respondent).
The estimated annual public fee cost is $122,500,000. This figure was derived by multiplying the number of respondents 100,000 x $1,225 fee charge.
There has been a small decrease of 168 annual burden hours previously reported for this information collection. This can be attributed to a one percent increase of electronic submissions. There is no additional data being captured for this information collection.
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 in the information collection in accordance with OMB regulations.
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.
Paperwork Certification
In submitting this request for OMB approval, I certify that the requirements of the Privacy Act and OMB directives have been complied with including paperwork regulations, statistical standards or directives, and any other information policy directives promulgated under 5 CFR 1320.
____________________________________ ___________________
Chief,
Regulatory Products Division,
Office of the Executive Secretariat,
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services,
Department of Homeland Security.
| File Type | application/msword |
| Author | INS |
| Last Modified By | Liana Miranda |
| File Modified | 2011-09-23 |
| File Created | 2011-09-23 |