Annual Survey of Refugees

Forms and Documents

Document Name	Status
Attachment A - Summary of changes to the 2023-2025 ASR.docx Supplementary Document	2023-09-19
Supporting Statement B -ASR 2023_clean 9.18.23.docx Supporting Statement B	2023-09-19
Supporting Statement A -ASR 2023_clean 9.19.23.docx Supporting Statement A	2023-09-19

IC Document Collections

IC ID	Document Title	Status
9803	ORR-9 Annual Survey of Refugees Other-Survey	Modified
189528	Introduction Letter and Postcard Other-Request for Participation	Modified

ICR Details

OMB Control No: 0970-0033	ICR Reference No: 202309-0970-007
Status: Received in OIRA	Previous ICR Reference No: 202112-0970-001
Agency/Subagency: HHS/ACF	Agency Tracking No: ORR
Title: Annual Survey of Refugees
Type of Information Collection: Revision of a currently approved collection	Common Form ICR:  No
Type of Review Request: Regular	Date Submitted to OIRA: 09/22/2023

	Requested	Previously Approved
Expiration Date	36 Months From Approved	11/30/2023
Responses	3,000	3,000
Time Burden (Hours)	1,320	1,275
Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0

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Abstract: The Annual Survey of Refugees (ASR) helps the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) meet its congressional reporting requirements, as specified in The Refugee Act of 1980 (Section 413 of the Immigration and Naturalization Act, [8 U.S.C. 1523]). From the time of their arrival in the United States, refugees are eligible for social services, including means-tested public assistance, according to eligibility criteria established by the locality in which they are resettled. Following an initial 90-day reception period funded by the U.S. Department of State, ACF, through ORR, provides transitional resettlement assistance through a network of national non-profit grantees and their local affiliates. In many cases, these services are expected to end after an 8-month resettlement period. By that time, refugees are expected to be transitioned to mainstream social services or to self-sufficiency. The design of the resettlement program means that ORR has limited administrative information on refugees’ experiences after the 8-month resettlement period. The information collected through the ASR generates national population estimates of refugee labor force participation, public benefits receipt, English language acquisition, and conversion to legal permanent residency to meet Congressional reporting requirements. Given that ORR does not have access to cross-program administrative data on refugees’ participation in state-provided services, a representative survey is the most resource-efficient way to meet ORR’s annual reporting requirements, laid out in the Refugee Act of 1980. In particular, descriptive information from the survey is used to meet the requirement of 413(b)(1): “an updated profile of the employment and labor force statistics for refugees who have entered the United States within the five-fiscal-year period immediately preceding the fiscal year within which the report is to be made.” Descriptive information from the survey is also used alongside quantitative and qualitative data collected during program administration to meet the requirements of 413(b)(5): “the extent to which (A) the services provided under this chapter are assisting refugees in achieving economic self-sufficiency, achieving ability in English, and achieving employment commensurate with their skills and abilities.” This information collection request (ICR) includes revisions to the survey instrument intended to maximize the utility of the data collection, including for secondary analysis. There are no legal or administrative requirements necessitating the collection of these additional items. ACF is undertaking these revisions at the discretion of the agency. Proposed new items for ASR 2023-2025 are also flagged in Attachment A. This request covers the following administrations of the ASR: ASR 2023 (to be fielded spring 2024), ASR 2024 (to be fielded spring 2025), and ASR 2025 (to be fielded spring 2026).

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Authorizing Statute(s): PL: Pub.L. 96 - 212 413(a) Name of Law: Refugee Act of 1980, Section 413(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (Sec. 413 [8 U.S.C. 1523]
  

Citations for New Statutory Requirements: None

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Associated Rulemaking Information
RIN:	Stage of Rulemaking:	Federal Register Citation:	Date:
	Not associated with rulemaking

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Federal Register Notices & Comments
60-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	88 FR 35880	06/01/2023
30-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	88 FR 65394	09/22/2023
Did the Agency receive public comments on this ICR? Yes

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Number of Information Collection (IC) in this ICR: 2

IC Title	Form No.	Form Name
Introduction Letter and Postcard
ORR-9 Annual Survey of Refugees

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ICR Summary of Burden

	Total Request	Previously Approved	Change Due to New Statute	Change Due to Agency Discretion	Change Due to Adjustment in Estimate	Change Due to Potential Violation of the PRA
Annual Number of Responses	3,000	3,000	0	0	0	0
Annual Time Burden (Hours)	1,320	1,275	0	45	0	0
Annual Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0	0	0	0	0

Burden increases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: Yes

Burden Increase Due to: Miscellaneous Actions

Burden decreases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: No

Burden Reduction Due to:

Short Statement: The burden associated with the ASR was increased from 48 to 50 minutes, to reflect estimates of the burden from the revised instrument for a household averaging 2 eligible adults. This marginal increase in individual burden is expected to substantially increase the utility of the data collection for ORR programmatic use and secondary research use to improve understanding of the factors associated with resettlement outcomes.

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Annual Cost to Federal Government: $1,158,333

Does this IC contain surveys, censuses, or employ statistical methods? Yes Part B of Supporting Statement

Does this ICR request any personally identifiable information (see OMB Circular No. A-130 for an explanation of this term)? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination.     Yes

Does this ICR include a form that requires a Privacy Act Statement (see 5 U.S.C. §552a(e)(3))? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination.     No

Is this ICR related to the Affordable Care Act [Pub. L. 111-148 & 111-152]? No

Is this ICR related to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, [Pub. L. 111-203]? No

Is this ICR related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)? No

Is this ICR related to the Pandemic Response? No

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Common Form ICR:  No

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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:

(a) It is necessary for the proper performance of agency functions;

(b) It avoids unnecessary duplication;

(c) It reduces burden on small entities;

(d) It uses plain, coherent, and unambiguous language that is understandable to respondents;

(e) Its implementation will be consistent and compatible with current reporting and recordkeeping practices;

(f) It indicates the retention periods for recordkeeping requirements;

(g) It informs respondents of the information called for under 5 CFR 1320.8 (b)(3) about:

(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;

(h) It was developed by an office that has planned and allocated resources for the efficient and effective management and use of the information to be collected.

(i) It uses effective and efficient statistical survey methodology (if applicable); and

(j) It makes appropriate use of information technology.

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.

Certification Date: 09/22/2023

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