Online Request to be a Supporter and Declaration of Financial Support
New collection (Request for a new OMB Control Number)
No
Emergency
01/04/2023
Approved with change
01/04/2023
01/04/2023
OIRA approves this emergency for a period of six months, contingent on the agency seeking comment via 60-day notice in the Federal Register within 90 days of this approval. In addition, the following terms of clearance applies: USCIS will be collecting data on the efficacy of collecting "sex" and "social security numbers" from US-based supporters with respect to improving screening and vetting and preventing human trafficking of a vulnerable population. This information will be shared with OIRA concurrent with USCIS seeking normal PRA approval at the close of the 6 month emergency, and will be used to evaluate the success of both the parole processes at large, and the continued use of the data elements "sex" and "SSN" to combat human trafficking, specifically. Future renewals will require evidence to support the need to collect both data elements, and insufficient support may result in OIRA disapproving or limiting the approval timeframe for the collection. OIRA further notes that any additional changes to the collection - including expanding eligibility - will need to be processed under normal clearance procedures at 5 CFR 1320.10.
table that charts list comparision
Inventory as of this Action
Requested
Previously Approved
07/31/2023
6 Months From Approved
400,000
0
0
598,500
0
0
0
0
0
DHS uses Form I-134A to determine whether a U.S.-based individual has sufficient financial resources and access to those funds to support the beneficiary for the duration of their temporary stay in the United States.
Form I-134A is used by a U.S. based individual (the supporter) to request to be considered as a supporter and to agree to provide financial support to the beneficiary named on the form during the beneficiaryâs period of stay in the United States.
Form I-134A is filed online and is only available for use by specific parole processes. This information collection supports the action being taken by the Secretary of Homeland Security to expand the ability for certain U.S.-based individuals to request to be considered to be a supporter of a beneficiary seeking to be paroled into the United States. Biographic information about the beneficiary provided on Form I-134A will be used for biographic security screening and advance travel authorization from DHS (OMB Control Number 1651-0143) for eligible nationals. Prior to the transmission of this biographic information from USCIS to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for this purpose, the beneficiary will be requested to confirm electronically the accuracy of the biographic information provided on their behalf by the respondent.
OMB has previously approved a revision to USCIS Form I-134, Declaration of Financial Support (OMB control number 1615-0014) under the PRA's emergency processing procedures at 5 CFR 1320.13. To support the expanded efforts and make the collection more flexible, DHS has created a new information collection that will be the first step in these parole processes and will cease using the paper USCIS Form I-134 for this purpose. U.S.-based supporters will submit USCIS Form I-134A online on behalf of a beneficiary to demonstrate that they can support the beneficiary for the duration of their temporary stay in the United States.
DHS requests emergency approval because the delay associated with the normal information collection request clearance process would harm the public interest. The DHS Office of Immigration Statistics estimates border encounters will continue to rise, and potentially rise dramatically, subsequent to the lifting of the Title 42 public health order on December 21, 2022. Specifically, OIS estimates that encounters may surge as high as 14,000 per day in the first weeks after December 21, and that encounters could average 12,000 per day throughout the first few months of FY 2023. DHS does not currently have the infrastructure, personnel, or funding to safely process migratory flows of this magnitude. The status quo, which involves record numbers of Nicaraguan, Cuban and Haitian nationals currently being encountered attempting to enter irregularly at the southwest border, coupled with DHSâs extremely limited options for processing, detaining, or quickly removing such migrants, unduly impedes DHSâs ability to fulfill its critical and varied missions. Delaying the information collection approval would be contrary to the public interest because it would incentivize even more irregular migration of Nicaraguan, Cuban, and Haitian nationals seeking to enter the United States before the process would take effect at a time when we are already anticipating increased flows due to the lifting of Title 42. Thus, the urgent border and national security and humanitarian interests in reducing and diverting the flow of irregular migration would be exacerbated by a delay of the approval of this request.
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.
I-134A_EMG-REV_Memo_DHSPLCY-OGC (signed 12-29-22) eh.pdf
I-134A-001_NEW_EMG_SupportingStatement.docx
Documentation of the relationship of parolee/beneficiary's derivative and add-on beneficiaries