[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 49 (Monday, March 15, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12226-12227]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-5613]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Privacy Act of 1974; Computer Matching Program
AGENCY: Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice--Computer Matching between the Department of Education
and the Department of Homeland Security, United States Citizenship and
Immigration Services, formerly the Immigration and Naturalization
Service.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Final
Guidance Interpreting the Provisions of Public Law 100-503, the
Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 1988 (54 FR 25818 (June
19, 1989)) and OMB Circular A-130, Appendix I (65 FR 77677 (December
12, 2000)) notice is
[[Page 12227]]
hereby given of the computer matching program between the Department of
Education (ED) (the recipient agency), and the Department of Homeland
Security, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
(the source agency).
In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), as
amended by the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 1988,
and OMB Circular A-130, the following information is provided:
1. Names of Participating Agencies.
The U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security, USCIS.
2. Purpose of the Match.
The matching program entitled ``Verification Division USCIS/ED''
will permit ED to confirm the immigration status of alien applicants
for, or recipients of, financial assistance under Title IV of the
Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), as authorized by
section 484(g) of the HEA (20 U.S.C. 1091(g)). The Title IV programs
include: the Federal Pell Grant Program; the Academic Competitiveness
Grant Program; the National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain
Talent Grant Program; the Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant Program;
the Federal Perkins Loan Program; the Federal Work-Study Program; the
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant Program; the Federal
Family Education Loan Program; the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan
Program; the Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership Program; and
the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs.
3. Authority for Conducting the Matching Program.
The information contained in the USCIS data base is referred to as
the Verification Information System (VIS), and is authorized under the
Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA), Public Law 99-603.
ED seeks access to the VIS database for the purpose of confirming the
immigration status of applicants for assistance, as authorized by
section 484(g) of the HEA, 20 U.S.C. 1091(g), and consistent with the
Title IV student eligibility requirements of section 484(a)(5) of the
HEA, 20 U.S.C. 1091(a)(5). USCIS is authorized to participate in this
immigration status verification under section 103 of the Immigration
and Nationality Act, as amended, 8 U.S.C. 1103.
4. Categories of Records and Individuals Covered.
The records to be used in the match and the roles of the matching
participants are described as follows: Through the use of user
identification codes and passwords, authorized persons from ED will
transmit electronically data from its Privacy Act system of records
entitled, ``Federal Student Aid Application File (18-11-01)'' to USCIS.
The data will include the alien registration number, the first and last
name, date of birth, current social security number and gender of the
alien applicant for, or recipient of, Title IV assistance. This action
will initiate a search for corresponding data elements in a USCIS
Privacy Act system of records entitled ``Verification Information
System Records Notice (DHS-2007-0010).'' Where there is a match of
records, the system will add the following data to the record and
return the file to ED: the primary or secondary verification number,
the date of entry into the U.S., the country of birth, and the USCIS
status code of the alien applicant or recipient, and a code indicating
that the alien applicant or recipient was confirmed to be an eligible
non-citizen or that this determination could not be made. In accordance
with 5 U.S.C. 552a(p), ED will not suspend, terminate, reduce, or make
a final denial of any Title IV assistance to such individual, or take
other adverse action against such individual, as a result of
information produced by such a match, until (1)(a) ED has independently
verified the information; or (b) the Data Integrity Board of ED
determines in accordance with guidance issued by the Director of the
OMB that (i) the information is limited to identification and amount of
benefits paid by ED under a Federal benefit program; and (ii) there is
a high degree of confidence that the information provided to ED is
accurate; (2) the individual receives a notice from ED containing a
statement of its findings and informing the individual of the
opportunity to contest such findings by submitting documentation
demonstrating a satisfactory immigration status within 30 days of
receipt of the notice; and (3) 30 days from the date of the
individual's receipt of such notice has expired.
5. Effective Dates of the Matching Program.
The matching program will become effective 40 days after a copy of
the computer matching agreement, as approved by the Data Integrity
Board of each agency, is transmitted to Congress and OMB, unless the
requested ten day waiver is approved by OMB or unless OMB objects to
some or all of the agreement, or 30 days after publication of this
notice in the Federal Register, whichever date is later. The matching
program will continue for 18 months after the effective date and may be
extended for an additional 12 months thereafter, if the conditions
specified in 5 U.S.C. 552a(o)(2)(D) have been met.
6. Address for Receipt of Public Comments or Inquires.
Mr. Leroy Everett, Management and Program Analyst, U.S. Department
of Education, Federal Student Aid, Union Center Plaza, 830 First
Street, NE., Washington, DC 20002-5345. Telephone: (202) 377-3265. If
you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call the
Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.
Individuals with disabilities can obtain this document in an
accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape or computer
diskette) on request to the contact person listed in the preceding
paragraph.
Electronic Access to This Document
You can view this document, as well as all other documents of this
Department published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe Portable
Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister. To use the PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat
Reader, which is available free at this site.
Note: The official version of this document is the document
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the official
edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations is
available on GPO access at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.*
Authority: 5 U.S.C. 552a; Pub. L. No. 100-503.
Dated: March 10, 2010.
William J. Taggart,
Chief Operating Officer Federal Student Aid.
[FR Doc. 2010-5613 Filed 3-12-10; 8:45 am]
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