Notice2023-21042
30-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Welcome Corps Application
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
September 27, 2023
Issuing agencies
State Department
Abstract
The Department of State has submitted the information collection described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we are requesting comments on this collection from all interested individuals and organizations. The purpose of this Notice is to allow 30 days for public comment.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 186 (Wednesday, September 27, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 186 (Wednesday, September 27, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66547-66548]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-21042]
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DEPARTMENT OF STATE
[Public Notice: 12195]
30-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Welcome Corps
Application
ACTION: Notice of request for public comment and submission to OMB of
proposed collection of information.
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SUMMARY: The Department of State has submitted the information
collection described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
for approval. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,
we are requesting comments on this collection from all interested
individuals and organizations. The purpose of this Notice is to allow
30 days for public comment.
DATES: Submit comments up to October 27, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of
this notice to <a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a>. Find this information
collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--Open for
Public Comments'' or by using the search function.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Direct requests for additional
information regarding the collection listed in this notice, including
requests for copies of the proposed collection instrument and
supporting documents to Cassie Le, who may be reached on 202-805-9291
or at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#6b270e28392b181f0a1f0e450c041d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="db97be98899ba8afbaafbef5bcb4ad">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
<bullet> Title of Information Collection: Welcome Corps
Application.
<bullet> OMB Control Number: 1405-0256.
<bullet> Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved
collection.
<bullet> Originating Office: PRM/A.
<bullet> Form Number: No form.
<bullet> Respondents: Respondents: Private Sponsor Groups (PSGs),
groups of at least five or more individual American citizens or
permanent residents who will be able to apply to sponsor the
resettlement of refugees, and Private Sponsor Organizations (PSOs),
established and/or incorporated organizations who will be able to apply
to mobilize, organize, oversee, and/or offer support to Private Sponsor
Groups.
<bullet> Estimated Number of Respondents: 2,020.
<bullet> Estimated Number of Responses: 2,020.
<bullet> Average Time per Response: 5.5 hours.
<bullet> Total Estimated Burden Time: 8,908 hours total.
<bullet> Frequency: Once per respondent.
<bullet> Obligation to Respond: Voluntary.
We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department to:
<bullet> Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is
necessary for the proper functions of the Department.
<bullet> Evaluate the accuracy of our estimate of the time and cost
burden for this proposed collection, including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used.
<bullet> Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected.
<bullet> Minimize the reporting burden on those who are to respond,
including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of
information technology.
Please note that comments submitted in response to this Notice are
a public record. Before including any detailed personal information,
you should be aware that your comments as submitted, including your
personal information, will be available for public review.
Abstract of Proposed Collection
In Executive Order 14013 on ``Rebuilding and Enhancing Programs to
Resettle Refugees and Planning for the Impact of Climate Change on
Migration'' issued in February 2021, President Biden directed the
Department of State and Department of Health and Human Services to
``capitalize on . . . private sponsorship of refugees'' as part of
efforts to ``meet the challenges of restoring and expanding the [U.S.
Refugee Admissions Program].'' To fulfill this directive, the
Department of State is rolling out a program for private sponsorship of
refugees approved for admission to the United States through the U.S.
Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), named ``the Welcome Corps.''
Through the Welcome Corps application process, private sponsors
accept primary responsibility to welcome arriving refugees and to
provide core services/assistance to support their initial resettlement
equivalent to what is provided by nonprofit resettlement agency
partners through the U.S. Government-funded Reception and Placement
(R&P) program. When private sponsors apply through the program,
sponsors have the option to be matched with a refugee case already
being processed through the USRAP or to refer specific individuals to
access the USRAP through the P-4 Privately Sponsored Refugees category.
The P-4 category, along with the other categories of cases that have
access to the USRAP, is outlined in the annual Proposed Refugee
Admissions--Report to Congress, which is submitted on behalf of the
President in fulfillment of the requirements of section 207(d) of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1157) and authorized by the
annual Presidential Determination for Refugee Admissions.
Private sponsor entities include Private Sponsor Groups (groups of
at least five or more individual American citizens or permanent
residents who can apply to sponsor the resettlement of refugees) and
Private Sponsor Organizations (established and/or incorporated
organizations who can apply to mobilize, organize, oversee, and/or
offer support to Private Sponsor Groups).
As part of the Welcome Corps application process for private
sponsors, biographic information is collected from Private Sponsor
Groups (PSGs) and Private Sponsor Organizations (PSOs) to facilitate
the placement of approved refugee applicants with private sponsors and
to plan for refugee applicants to travel to the appropriate location of
private sponsors within the United States. In instances where private
sponsors are seeking to refer specific individuals to access the USRAP
through the P-4 category, additional information is collected on
refugee applicants, including biographic information, to assess whether
refugee applicants meet the eligibility criteria to access the USRAP
through the P-4 category. The information collected on refugee
applicants will also assist Department of Homeland Security's U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officials in conducting
adjudications of applicants' refugee status.
Methodology
The Department of State's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and
Migration (PRM) has entered into a cooperative agreement with the
Community Sponsorship Hub (CSH), which is managing a consortium of non-
governmental organizations (NGOs) to establish and oversee an online
application process to intake applications from PSGs and PSOs and
screen their applications for approval for participation in the Welcome
Corps.
[[Page 66548]]
CSH and the NGO consortium it is managing will also screen referrals
submitted by PSGs and PSOs of refugee applicants before sharing
referrals with PRM for consideration of whether referred refugee
applicants meet the eligibility criteria to be granted access to the
USRAP through the P-4 category.
As part of the online application process for PSGs, the NGO
consortium will collect information on PSGs as part of completed
applications submitted electronically by prospective private sponsors
through the program website that is being built and managed by the
consortium (<a href="http://www.welcomecorps.org">www.welcomecorps.org</a>). This will include biographic
information on each member of the PSG, evidence that each member of the
PSG has completed the required background checks through a third-party
identified by the consortium, evidence that at least one member of the
PSG has completed required online training developed by the consortium,
and details on how PSGs will plan to provide initial resettlement
support to the refugees who are matched to them through the Welcome
Corps.
In addition, the NGO consortium will also oversee a separate
application process for PSOs and collect information from PSOs
accordingly. This will include biographic information for a key point
of contact at the PSO, background information on the organizational
structure of the PSO, and information on the PSO's organizational
resources and staffing capacity to mobilize, support, and oversee PSGs.
The NGO consortium will also collect information on refugee
applicants referred by PSGs and PSOs for access to the USRAP through
the P-4 category that will be submitted electronically by PSGs and PSOs
through the program website. This will include biographic information
on each refugee applicant being referred, claimed relationships of the
principal refugee applicant to all derivatives on the referral, their
immigration status in the country of asylum, a narrative of the
principal applicant's refugee claim, and supporting documentation.
To support PRM's operational requirements to facilitate placements
of refugee cases with PSGs (including those supported by specific
PSOs), the consortium will share key biographic information of PSGs and
PSOs with PRM. This will include points of contact of PSGs and PSOs,
such as the name of the designated point of contact along with that
private sponsor group member's address, phone number, email address,
and other relevant contact information. Information collected by the
NGO consortium on referred refugee applicants will also be shared with
PRM to enable PRM to determine whether applicants meet the eligibility
criteria for access to the USRAP through the P-4 category.
The consortium will electronically transmit biographic information
on PSGs and PSOs, along with information on refugee applicants, to
PRM's Refugee Processing Center (RPC) through secure means. Biographic
information on PSGs and PSOs will enable PRM to facilitate the matching
of approved refugee applicants with approved PSGs or PSOs and to track
the placement of refugee applicants, similarly to how PRM facilitates
and tracks placement of refugee applicants supported by PRM's funded
resettlement agency partners through the R&P Program. This will enable
PRM to have a record of the relevant point of contact for each
resettled refugee case supported by a PSG or PSO through the Welcome
Corps.
The information on refugee applicants will enable PRM to assess the
eligibility of referred applicants to access the USRAP through the P-4
category. Those meeting the eligibility criteria will be granted access
to the USRAP for further processing. Referred refugee applicants
approved for resettlement in the United States will be served by the
private sponsors who referred them.
Kevin E. Bryant,
Deputy Director, Office of Directives Management, U.S. Department of
State.
[FR Doc. 2023-21042 Filed 9-26-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-33-P
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