SORN for Affidavit of Relationship

Volume 77, Number 24
Monday, February 6, 2012
Public Notice 7787, Pages 5865-5867
Privacy Act; System of Records: State-59,
Refugee Case Records
SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the
Department of State proposes to consolidate
two existing systems of records, Refugee
Case Records, State-59 and Refugee
Processing Center Records, State-60,
pursuant to the provisions of the Privacy Act
of 1974, as amended (5 U.S.C. 552a) and
Office of Management and Budget Circular
No. A-130, Appendix I. The consolidated
system will be titled State-59, Refugee Case
Records.
DATES: This system of records will be
effective on March 19, 2012 unless we
receive comments that will result in a
contrary determination.
ADDRESSES: Any persons interested in
commenting on the amended system of
records may do so by writing to the Senior
Advisor for Privacy Policy, A/GIS;
Department of State, SA-2; 515 22nd Street
NW., Washington, DC 20522-8001.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT: Senior Advisor for Privacy
Policy, A/GIS; Department of State, SA-2;
515 22nd Street NW., Washington, DC
20522-8001.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The Department of State proposes that the
proposed system retain the name ``Refugee
Case Records.'' In accordance with the
Privacy Act of 1974, the Department of
State proposes to consolidate two record
systems: State-59, Refugee Case Records
(72 FR 45081) and State-60, Refugee
Processing Center Records (72 FR 45084)
into one system of records. State-60,
Refugee Processing Center Records will be
removed from the Department of State's
inventory of record systems. The proposed
system will include revisions to the
following sections: Categories of Records,

Purpose, Safeguards, Retrievability, and
other administrative updates.
The Department's report was filed with the
Office of Management and
Budget. The amended system description,
``Refugee Case Records, State59,'' will read as set forth below.
Dated: January 23, 2012. Joyce A. Barr,
Assistant Secretary for Administration, U.S.
Department of State.
STATE-59
SYSTEM NAME:
Refugee Case Records.
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION:
Unclassified.
SYSTEM LOCATION:
(1) Refugee processing sites, such as
designated U.S. embassies, consulates
and/or offices of Resettlement Support
Centers (agencies under cooperative
agreement with the Department of State that
assist in the processing of refugee
applicants); and
(2) The Refugee Processing Center, 1401
Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22209.
The Department of State may change
processing locations as needed. A list of
refugee processing sites is available from the
Office of Admissions, Bureau of Population,
Refugees, and Migration, SA-9, 8th floor,
Department of State, 2505 E Street NW.,
Washington, DC 20520.
CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS
COVERED BY THE SYSTEM:
Individuals who have applied for admission
to the United States under the U.S. Refugee
Admissions Program; individuals in the
United States who claim a relationship with
certain family members overseas in order to
establish their qualifications for applying for
refugee admission to the United States
family members of the individuals in the
United States; and certain Special Immigrant
Visa (SIV) applicants who wish to access
resettlement benefits in the United States.

CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE
SYSTEM:
Refugee or refugee-following-to-join (Visa93) applications and supporting
documentation, including required
biographic, biometric (including, with
respect to some individuals covered by the
system, the results of DNA relationship
testing), medical, security, and sponsorship
information, as well as correspondence
related to individual refugees including
Affidavits of Relationship (AOR) submitted
by relatives in the United States. Similar
information is included for Afghan and Iraqi
Special Immigrant Visa applicants that have
elected to receive resettlement benefits.
Overseas, records include both hard copy
case files and electronic records in the
Worldwide Refugee Admissions Processing
System (WRAPS). The case record is
entered or scanned by Resettlement Support
Centers under cooperative agreement with
the Department of State. WRAPS includes
electronic information on individual
applicants for admission to the United States
as refugees, SIVs electing resettlement
benefits, and U.S. based relatives.
The categories of records maintained by the
Refugee Processing Center (RPC) are
primarily the electronic master records of
overseas refugee applications in the
WRAPS; data input records related to
processing steps performed by the RPC;
periodic and ad hoc statistical and case
status reports related to refugee processing;
and system audit reports.
Records categories entered by the Refugee
Processing Center include Affidavits of
Relationship; series of alien numbers
transferred by the Department of Homeland
Security U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services (USCIS); electronic files with
biographic data of refugees referred by the
United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR); electronic files from
the International Organization for Migration

(IOM) with travel and arrival information;
results of DNA relationship testing between
anchor relatives in the United States and
family members overseas to determine if
they are qualified to apply for admission as
refugees based on their familial relationship;
security clearances from various U.S.
Government agencies; and electronic files
from resettlement agencies with sponsorship
assurance and post-arrival information such
as address, provision of services, English as
a Second Language enrollment,
employment, and Social Security numbers.
AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE
OF THE SYSTEM:
8 U.S.C. 1522(b) (Authorization for
Programs for Initial Domestic Resettlement
of and Assistance to Refugees); 8 U.S.C.
1157 (Annual Admission of Refugees and
Admission of Emergency Situation
Refugees); Letter of President Carter of
January 13, 1981, 17 Weekly Compilation
of Presidential Documents, Pg. 2880
(Refugee Resettlement Grants Program);
Refugee Crisis in Iraq Act of 2007, Public
Law 110-181; Afghan Allies Protection Act
of 2009, Public Law 111-8.
PURPOSE(S):
Records in this system support the Bureau of
Population, Refugees, and Migration in
tracking and managing case processing of
applicants for the U.S. Refugee Admissions
Program from application through the initial
reception and placement period in the
United States of those individuals approved
for resettlement. This system is used for
conducting security clearance checks on
refugee applicants, verifying employment
information, and matching up refugees with
domestic resettlement agencies in the United
States.
ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS
MAINTAINED IN THE SYSTEM,
INCLUDING CATEGORIES
OF USERS AND PURPOSES OF SUCH
USES:

These records may routinely be disclosed:
(1) To the Department of Homeland
Security to determine the eligibility and
admissibility of individuals applying for
admission to the United States as refugees or
any other immigration benefit under U.S.
law.
(2) To the International Organization for
Migration (IOM) to perform required
medical examinations and arrange
appropriate transportation to the United
States, including departure and transit
formalities.
(3) To the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to
coordinate resettlement and protection
activities.
(4) To members of Congress or other
Federal, State, and local government
agencies having statutory or other lawful
authority, as needed for the formulation,
amendment, administration or enforcement
of immigration, nationality, and other laws
of the United States.
(5) To resettlement agencies to ensure
appropriate placement in the United States.
(6) To state refugee coordinators, health
officials, and interested community
organizations for statistical and demographic
purposes.
(7) To consumer reporting agencies (31
U.S.C. 3711), debt collection contractors (31
U.S.C. 3718) and the Department of the
Treasury (31 U.S.C. 3716) to assist in the
collection of indebtedness reassigned to the
U.S. Government under the refugee travel
loan program administered by the
International Organization for Migration
(IOM).
The Department of State periodically
publishes in the Federal Register its standard
routine uses that apply to all of its Privacy
Act systems of records. These notices
appear in the form of a Prefatory Statement.
These standard routine uses apply to the
Refugee Case Records, State-59.

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR
STORING, RETRIEVING,
ACCESSING, RETAINING, AND
DISPOSING OF RECORDS IN THE
SYSTEM:
STORAGE:
Electronic media and hard copy.
RETRIEVABILITY:
Individual name, case number, alien
number, and sponsor name.
SAFEGUARDS:
WRAPS users at the Refugee Processing
Center (RPC) are given cyber security
awareness training by the contractor which
covers the procedures for handling Sensitive
but Unclassified information, including
personally identifiable information. Annual
refresher training is mandatory. All RPC
employees are subject to a thorough
background security investigation.
At the Resettlement Support Centers (RSC)
overseas, all paper records containing
personal information are maintained in
secured file cabinets in restricted areas,
access to which is limited to authorized
personnel only. RSC staff are briefed on the
confidentiality of refugee data and instructed
regarding proper handling procedures.
Access to computerized files is passwordprotected and under the direct supervision of
the system manager. Centralized electronic
storage and retrieval assist operational
managers at headquarters and overseas to
identify and resolve processing delays, plan
accurately for refugee arrivals, improve
program analysis, and preserve overseas
records in case of evacuation or disasters in
overseas processing locations. The system
manager has the capability of printing audit
trails of access from the computer media,
thereby permitting regular and ad hoc
monitoring of computer usage.
When it is determined that a user no longer
needs access, the user account is disabled.
RETENTION AND DISPOSAL:

Records are retired or destroyed in
accordance with the published records
schedules of the Department of State as
approved by the National Archives and
Records Administration. If individuals have
been assigned alien numbers, their hard
copy files are transferred to USCIS and
subject to its disposition schedules.
Electronic records at the RSC will be
retained for five years after the last action
has been taken on the case. At the RPC,
WRAPS records are maintained offline for
an additional 10 years, and then deleted
when 15 years old. Statistical data are kept
indefinitely.
Hard copies of the results of the DNA
relationship testing between individuals in
the United States and family members
overseas applying for admission based on
their familial relationship will be destroyed
immediately after relevant information is
entered into Worldwide Refugee
Admissions Processing System database by
RPC staff.
More specific information may be obtained
by writing to the Director, Office of
Information Programs and Services, SA-2,
Department of State, 515 22nd Street NW.,
Washington, DC 20522-8001.
SYSTEM MANAGER AND ADDRESS:
Director; Office of Admissions Bureau of
Population, Refugees, and Migration, SA-9,
8th floor, Department of State, 2025 E Street
NW., Washington, DC 20522.
NOTIFICATION PROCEDURE:
Individuals who have reason to believe that
the Office of Admissions, Bureau of
Population, Refugees, and Migration might
have records pertaining to themselves
should write to the Director, Office of
Information Programs and Services, SA-2,
Department of State, 515 22nd Street NW.,
Washington, DC 20522-8001. The
individual must specify that he or she wishes
the Refugee Processing Center Records of a
specific processing location to be checked.

At a minimum, the individual should
include: Name (and any aliases): date and
place of birth; the approximate date of
arrival in the United States; his or her
immigration Alien number; current mailing
address and zip code; and signature.
RECORD ACCESS AND AMENDMENT
PROCEDURES:
Individuals who wish to gain access to or
amend records pertaining to themselves
should write to the Director; Office of
Information Programs and Services (address
above).
RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES:
These records contain information obtained
primarily from the individual who is the
subject of these records, relatives, sponsors,
members of Congress, U.S. Government
agencies, Resettlement Support Centers, the
Refugee Processing Center, resettlement
agencies, international organizations, and
local sources at overseas sites.
SYSTEMS EXEMPTED FROM
CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF THE ACT:
Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552a (k)(1), records in
this system may be exempted from
subsections (c)(3), (d), (e)(1), (e)(4)(G), (H),
and (I), and (f) of the Privacy Act. See 22
CFR 171.36 for more information.