TITLE 8 - ALIENS AND NATIONALITY

CHAPTER I - DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

SUBCHAPTER B - IMMIGRATION REGULATIONS

PART 213A - AFFIDAVITS OF SUPPORT ON BEHALF OF IMMIGRANTS

213a.4 - Actions for reimbursement, public notice, and congressional reports.

  (a) Requests for reimbursement. Requests for reimbursement under section 213A(b)(2) of the Act must be served by personal service, as defined by 103.5a(a)(2) of this chapter. The request for reimbursement shall specify the date the sponsor's affidavit of support was received by the Service, the sponsored immigrant's name, alien registration number, address, and date of birth, as well as the types of means-tested public benefit(s) that the sponsored immigrant received, the dates the sponsored immigrant received the means-tested public benefit(s), and the total amount of the means-tested public benefit(s) received. It is not necessary to make a separate request for each type of means-tested public benefit, nor for each separate payment. The agency may instead aggregate in a single request all benefit payments the agency has made as of the date of the request. The request for reimbursement shall also notify the sponsor that the sponsor must, within 45 days of the date of service, respond to the request for reimbursement either by paying the reimbursement or by arranging to commence payments pursuant to a payment schedule that is agreeable to the program official. Prior to filing a lawsuit against a sponsor to enforce the sponsor's support obligation under section 213A(b)(2) of the Act, a Federal, State, or local governmental agency or a private entity must wait 45 days from the date it issues a written request for reimbursement under section 213A(b)(1) of the Act. If a sponsored immigrant, a Federal, State, or local agency, or a private entity sues the sponsor and obtains a final civil judgment against the sponsor, the sponsored immigrant, the Federal, State, or local agency, or the private entity shall mail a certified copy of the final civil judgment to the Service's Statistics Branch, 425 I Street, NW., Washington, DC 20536. The copy should be accompanied by a cover letter that includes the reference Civil Judgments for Congressional Reports under section 213A(i)(3) of the Act. Failure to file a certified copy of the final civil judgment in accordance with this section has no effect on the plaintiff's ability to collect on the judgment pursuant to law.

  (b) Federal, State, and local government agencies should issue public notice of determinations regarding which benefits are considered means-tested public benefits prior to December 19, 1997, the date the new affidavit of support goes into effect, or as soon as possible thereafter. Additional notices should be issued whenever an agency revises its determination of which benefits are considered means-tested public benefits.

  (c) Congressional reports. (1) For purposes of section 213A(i)(3) of the Act, a sponsor shall be considered to be in compliance with the financial obligations of section 213A of the Act unless the sponsored immigrant or a Federal, State, or local agency or private entity has sued the sponsor, obtained a final judgment enforcing the sponsor's obligations under section 213A(a)(1)(A) or 213A(b) of the Act, and mailed a certified copy of the final judgment to the Service's Statistics Branch, 425 I Street, NW., Washington, DC 20536.

  (2) If a Federal, State, or local agency or private entity that administers any means-tested public benefit makes a determination under section 421(e) of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 in the case of any sponsored immigrant, the program official shall send written notice of the determination, including the name of the sponsored immigrant and of the sponsor, to the Service's Statistics Branch. The written notice should include the reference Determinations under 421(e) of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996.