Current as of October 03, 2022 | Updated by FindLaw Staff
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(a) For applications filed on or after April 1, 1997, and before January 11, 2021, an applicant is subject to the provisions of section 208(d)(6) of the Act only if the alien received the notice required by section 208(d)(4)(A) of the Act and a final order by an immigration judge or the Board of Immigration Appeals specifically finds that the alien knowingly filed a frivolous asylum application. An application is frivolous if:
(1) Any of the material elements in the asylum application is deliberately fabricated, and the immigration judge or the Board is satisfied that the applicant, during the course of the proceedings, has had sufficient opportunity to account for any discrepancies or implausible aspects of the claim.
(2) Paragraphs (b) through (f) of this section shall only apply to applications filed on or after January 11, 2021.
(b) For applications filed on or after January 11, 2021, an asylum officer may determine that the applicant knowingly filed a frivolous asylum application and may refer the applicant to an immigration judge on that basis, so long as the applicant has received the notice required by section 208(d)(4)(A) of the Act. For any application referred to an immigration judge, an asylum officer's determination that an application is frivolous will not render an applicant permanently ineligible for immigration benefits unless an immigration judge or the Board makes a finding of frivolousness as described in paragraph 1208.20(c).
(c) For applications filed on or after January 11, 2021, an asylum application is frivolous if it:
(1) Contains a fabricated material element;
(2) Is premised upon false or fabricated evidence unless the application would have been granted without the false or fabricated evidence;
(3) Is filed without regard to the merits of the claim; or
(4) Is clearly foreclosed by applicable law.
(d) If the alien has been provided the warning required by section 208(d)(4)(A) of the Act, he or she need not be given any additional or further opportunity to account for any issues with his or her claim prior to the entry of a frivolousness finding.
(e) An asylum application may be found frivolous even if it was untimely filed.
(f) A withdrawn asylum application may also be found frivolous unless:
(1) The alien wholly disclaims the application and withdraws it with prejudice;
(2) The alien is eligible for and agrees to accept voluntary departure for a period of no more than 30 days pursuant to section 240B(a) of the Act;
(3) The alien withdraws any and all other applications for relief or protection with prejudice; and
(4) The alien waives his right to appeal and any rights to file, for any reason, a motion to reopen or reconsider.
(g) For purposes of this section, a finding that an alien knowingly filed a frivolous asylum application shall not preclude the alien from seeking withholding of removal under section 241(b)(3) of the Act or protection under the regulations issued pursuant to the Convention Against Torture's implementing legislation.
Before deciding that a TIA is appropriate, the contracting officer also must judge that using a TIA could benefit the RD & D objectives in ways that likely would not happen if another type of assistance instrument were used (e.g., a cooperative agreement subject to all of the requirements of 10 CFR part 600). The contracting officer, in conjunction with Government program officials, must consider the questions in paragraphs (a) through (d) of this section, to help identify the benefits that may justify using a TIA and reducing some of the usual requirements. The contracting officer must report the answers to these questions to help the DOE measure the benefits of using a TIA. Note full concise answers are required only to questions that relate to the benefits perceived for using the TIA, rather than another type of funding instrument, for the particular project. A simple “no” or “not applicable” is a sufficient response for other questions. The questions are:
(a) Will the use of a TIA permit the involvement of any commercial firms or business units of firms that would not otherwise participate in the project? If so:
(1) What are the expected benefits of those firms' or divisions' participation (e.g., is there a specific technology that could be better, more readily available, or less expensive)?
(2) Why would they not participate if an instrument other than a TIA were used? The contracting officer should identify specific provisions of the TIA or features of the TIA award process that enable their participation. For example, if the RD & D effort is based substantially on a for-profit firm's privately developed technology and the Government may be a major user of any commercial product developed as a result of the award, a for-profit firm may not participate unless the Government's intellectual property rights in the technology are modified.
(b) Will the use of a TIA allow the creation of new relationships among participants in a consortium, at the prime or subtier levels, among business units of the same firm, or between non–Federal participants and the Federal Government that will foster better technology? If so:
(1) Why do these new relationships have the potential for fostering technology that is better, more affordable, or more readily available?
(2) Are there provisions of the TIA or features of the TIA award process that enable these relationships to form? If so, the contracting officer should be able to identify specifically what they are. If not, the contracting officer should be able to explain specifically why the relationships could not be created if another type of assistance instrument were used. For example, a large business firm may not be willing to participate in a consortium or teaming arrangement with small business firms and nonprofit firms under a standard cooperative agreement because those entities have invention rights under the Bayh–Dole statute that are not available to large businesses. A large business firm may be willing to participate in a consortium or teaming arrangement only if all partners are substantially equal with regard to the allocation of intellectual property rights.
(c) Will the use of a TIA allow firms or business units of firms that traditionally accept Government awards to use new business practices in the execution of the RD & D project that will foster better technology, new technology more quickly or less expensively, or facilitate partnering with commercial firms? If so:
(1) What specific benefits result from the use of these new practices? The contracting officer should be able to explain specifically the potential for those benefits.
(2) Are there provisions of the TIA or features of the TIA award process that enable the use of the new practices? If so, the contracting officer should be able to identify those provisions or features and explain why the practices could not be used if the award were made using another type of assistance instrument.
(d) Are there any other benefits of the use of a TIA that could help DOE meet its objectives in carrying out the project? If so, the contracting officer should be able to identify specifically what they are, how they can help meet the objectives, what features of the TIA or award process enable DOE to realize them, and why the benefits likely would not be realized if an assistance instrument other than a TIA were used.
Cite this article: FindLaw.com - Code of Federal Regulations Title 8. Aliens and Nationality § 8.208.20 Determining if an asylum application is frivolous - last updated October 03, 2022 | https://codes.findlaw.com/cfr/title-8-aliens-and-nationality/cfr-sect-8-208-20.html
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