[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 29 (Wednesday, February 12, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8087-8088]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-02866]
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DEPARTMENT OF STATE
[Public Notice:11035]
Notice of Intent To Request Emergency Processing of Information
Collection: Public Charge Questionnaire
ACTION: Public notice.
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SUMMARY: The Department of State intends to seek emergency processing
of proposed form DS-5540, Public Charge Questionnaire from the Office
of Management and Budget (OMB). The Department will seek OMB approval
of the form by February 24, 2020, so that the Department can implement
its interim final rule on the public charge ground of visa
ineligibility on this date. The Department also intends to respond, in
the supporting statement drafted in support of the request for OMB
approval, to public comments that it received in response to its
request for public comments on the same form DS-5540 that was published
in the Federal Register on October 24. The Department will publish
another notice in the Federal Register once it has requested emergency
processing from OMB.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Direct requests for additional
information regarding the collection listed in this notice, including
requests
[[Page 8088]]
for copies of the proposed collection instrument and supporting
documents to Taylor Beaumont, Acting Chief, Legislation and Regulations
Division, Visa Services, Bureau of Consular Affairs, Department of
State, 600 19th St. NW, Washington, DC 20006, (202) 485-8910,
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Abstract
On October 24, 2019, the Department published a notice in the
Federal Register to announce that it was seeking OMB approval of the
DS-5540, Public Charge Questionnaire, and invited public comment for a
60-day period. The 60-day comment period ended on December 23, 2019,
and the Department received 92 comments. Approval of this form will
permit the Department to implement the Department's interim final rule
on public charge published on October 11, 2019.
The Department of Homeland Security has announced that it will
begin implementation of its final rule on the public charge ground of
inadmissibility on February 24, 2020, in all states other than
Illinois. The Department now intends to seek emergency processing of
the DS-5540 pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.13, because there is insufficient
time to complete the ongoing process for OMB form approval under 5 CFR
1320.10 prior to February 24, 2020. The Department seeks to align the
Department's standards with those of the Department of Homeland
Security, to avoid situations where a consular officer will evaluate an
alien's circumstances and conclude that the alien is not likely at any
time to become a public charge, only for the Department of Homeland
Security to evaluate the same alien when he seeks admission to the
United States on the visa issued by the Department of State and find
the alien inadmissible on public charge grounds under the same facts.
Carl C. Risch,
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Consular Affairs, Department of State.
[FR Doc. 2020-02866 Filed 2-11-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-06-P