Classification for Victims of Severe Forms of Trafficking in Persons; Eligibility for “T” Nonimmigrant Status

<RULE> DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY <CFR>8 CFR Parts 212, 214, 245, and 274a</CFR> <DEPDOC>[CIS No. 2507-11; DHS Docket No. USCIS-2011-0010]</DEPDOC> <RIN>RIN 1615-AA59</RIN> <SUBJECT>Classification for Victims of Severe Forms of Trafficking in Persons; Eligibility for “T” Nonimmigrant Status</SUBJECT> <HD SOURCE="HED">AGENCY:</HD> U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Department of Homeland Security. <HD SOURCE="HED">ACTION:</HD> Final rule. <SUM> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUMMARY:</HD> On December 19, 2016, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published an interim final rule (2016 interim rule) amending its regulations governing the requirements and procedures for victims of a severe form of trafficking in persons seeking T nonimmigrant status. The 2016 interim rule amended the regulations to conform with legislation enacted after the publication of the initial regulations and to codify discretionary changes based on DHS's experience implementing the T nonimmigrant status program since it was established in 2002. DHS is adopting the 2016 interim rule as final with several clarifying changes based on USCIS experience implementing the interim rule, in response to comments received, and due to an organizational change to move the regulations to a separate subpart as explained in the <E T="02">SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION</E> section below. This final rule is intended to respond to public comments and clarify the eligibility and application requirements so that they conform to current law. </SUM> <EFFDATE> <HD SOURCE="HED">DATES:</HD> This rule is effective August 28, 2024. Comments on the Paperwork Reduction Act section of this final rule must be submitted by July 1, 2024. </EFFDATE> <FURINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:</HD> Rená Cutlip-Mason, Office of Policy and Strategy, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of Homeland Security, by mail at 5900 Capital Gateway Dr, Camp Springs, MD 20529-2140; or by phone at 240-721-3000 (this is not a toll-free number). Individuals with hearing or speech impairments may access the telephone numbers above via TTY by calling the toll-free Federal Information Relay Service at 1-877-889-5627 (TTY/TDD). </FURINF> <SUPLINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:</HD> <HD SOURCE="HD1">Table of Contents</HD> <EXTRACT> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">I. Executive Summary</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">A. Purpose of the Regulatory Action</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">B. Summary of Changes Made in the Final Rule</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">1. Definitions</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">2. Bona Fide Determination Process</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">3. Evidence of Extreme Hardship</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">4. Technical Changes</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">C. Costs and Benefits</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">II. Background and Legislative Authority</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">III. Response to Public Comments on the 2016 Interim Final Rule</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">A. Summary of Public Comments</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">B. General and Preliminary Matters</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">1. General Support for the Rule</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">2. Additional Comments</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">C. Terminology</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">D. Definitions</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">1. Involuntary Servitude</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">b. Reasonable Person Standard</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">c. Involuntary Servitude Induced by Domestic Violence</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">d. Mixed Motives</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">2. Law Enforcement Agency (LEA)</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">3. Law Enforcement Involvement</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">4. Reasonable Request for Assistance</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">5. Commercial Sex Act</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">6. Severe Form of Trafficking in Persons</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">E. Evidence and Burden and Standard of Proof</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">1. Reasonable Person Standard</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">2. Credibility of Evidence</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">3. Opportunity To Respond to Adverse Information</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">4. Requests for Evidence (RFE)</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">F. Application</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">1. Applicant Statements</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">2. Interviews of Applicants</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">3. Notification to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">4. Notification of Approval of T Nonimmigrant Status</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">G. Law Enforcement Declarations</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">1. Declaration Signature</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">2. Withdrawn Declarations and Revoked Continued Presence (CP)</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">3. Requirement To Sign Law Enforcement Declaration</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">H. Bona Fide Determination (BFD)</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">I. Evidence To Establish Trafficking</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">J. Physical Presence</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">1. Applicability of Physical Presence Requirement</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">2. Passage of Time Between Trafficking and Filing the T Visa</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">3. LEA Liberation and LEA Involvement</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">4. Presumption of Physical Presence</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">5. Continuing Presence and Nexus to Trafficking</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">6. Effect of Departure or Removal</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">7. Trafficking That Occurs Outside the United States, and Traveling Outside the United States Following Victimization</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">8. Opportunity To Depart</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">9. Presence for Participation in Investigative or Judicial Process</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">10. Evidence To Establish Physical Presence</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">K. Compliance With any Reasonable Request for Assistance</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">1. Requirement To Comply With Reasonable Request</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">2. Incompetence and Incapacity</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">3. Minimum Contact With Law Enforcement</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">4. Determining the Reasonableness of a Request</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">5. Trauma Exception</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">6. DHS Contact With Law Enforcement</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">7. Age Exemption</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">L. Extreme Hardship</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">M. Family Members Facing a Present Danger of Retaliation</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">N. Marriage of Principal After Principal Files Application for T Nonimmigrant Status</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">O. Relationship and Age-Out Protections</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">P. Travel Abroad</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">Q. Extension of Status</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">R. Revocation Procedures</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">S. Waivers of Inadmissibility</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">T. Adjustment of Status</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">U. Applicants and T Nonimmigrants in Removal Proceedings or With Removal Orders</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">1. Principal Applicants, T-1 Nonimmigrants, and Derivative Family Members</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">2. Immigration Judges</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">3. Automatic Stays of Removal</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">4. Unrepresented Applicants</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">5. Detained Applicants</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">6. Reinstatement of Removal</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">7. Issuances of Notices to Appear (NTAs)</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">V. Notification to ICE of Potential Trafficking Victims</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">W. Fees</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">X. Restrictions on Use and Disclosure of Information Relating to T Nonimmigrant Status</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">Y. Public Comment and Responses on Statutory and Regulatory Requirements</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">Z. Biometrics</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">AA. Trafficking Screening, Training, and Guidance</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">1. Screening</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">2. Training</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">3. Guidance</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">BB. Miscellaneous Comments</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">1. Cases Involving Multiple Victims</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">2. Social Security Cards</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">3. Victim-Blaming</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">4. Processing Times</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">5. Motions To Reopen and Reconsider</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">6. HHS Notification</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">7. Program Integrity</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">8. Annual Cap</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">9. Continued Presence Adjudication</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">10. Comment Period</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">CC. Out of Scope Comments</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">IV. Statutory and Regulatory Requirements</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">A. Executive Orders 12866, 13563, and 14094</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">1. Summary</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">2. Background and Population</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">3. Updates to the Economic Analysis Since the 2016 Interim Rule, Pre-IFR Baseline</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">4. Costs, and Benefits of the Final Rule</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">5. Final Costs of the Final Rule</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">B. Regulatory Flexibility Act</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">C. Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 (Congressional Review Act)</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">D. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">E. Congressional Review Act</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">F. Executive Order 13132 (Federalism)</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">G. Executive Order 12988 (Civil Justice Reform)</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">H. Executive Order 13175 (Consultation and Coordination With Indian Tribal Governments)</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">I. Family Assessment</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2"> J. National Environmental Policy Act </FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">K. Paperwork Reduction Act</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">1. Comments on the Information Collection Changes to Form I-914 and Related Forms and Instructions Published With the 2016 Interim Rule</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">2. Comments on Information Collection Changes to Form I-914, Application for T Nonimmigrant Status, and Related Forms and Instructions Published With Final Rule (60 Day Notice)</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">3. Changes to Form I-914, Form I-765, and Related Forms and Instructions Published With Final Rule</FP> </EXTRACT> <HD SOURCE= ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Preview showing 10k of 495k characters. Full document text is stored and available for version comparison. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━