The information collected on this
application will be used to determine whether an alien applying for
asylum and/or withholding of removal in the United States is
classifiable as a refugee, or eligible for protection under the
Convention Against Torture, and is eligible to remain in the United
States.
USCIS is reporting an
adjustment to the estimated annual time burden for this collection
of information, as a result of a decrease in the estimated number
of respondents. The change to the number of respondents is the
result in the manner that USCIS processes requests. The return to
Last-In-First-Out (LIFO) processing at the end of January 2018
resulted in a sustained decrease in asylum filings. This processing
method gives priority to the most recently filed applications when
scheduling asylum interviews. Giving priority to recent filings
allows USCIS to promptly place such individuals into removal
proceedings, which reduces the incentive to file for asylum solely
to obtain employment authorization. This approach also allows USCIS
to decide qualified applications in a more efficient manner. For
more information about the Affirmative Asylum Interview Scheduling,
please use go to:
https://www.uscis.gov/affirmative-asylum-scheduling Changes were
made to the form and instructions. Please see draft documents and
table of changes for additional information. The privacy notice on
the instructions was updated.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.