Speak out on proposed USCIS rule
Two weeks left.
That’s all the time there is to speak out against a proposed rule by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services that will raise the fees for genealogical records by nearly 500%.
The deadline for comments on the rule is December 16, 2019 — just two weeks from today — and The Legal Genealogist implores you to act swiftly to add your voice to the list of those opposing this increase.
If this rule is adopted, the cost of getting a record search done at USCIS — the first step that lets us know if the agency actually holds records about a research target — will rise from $65 to $240. And the cost of getting a paper record identified in that record search, such as a visa file, will rise from $65 to $385. So a record that, today, costs a maximum of $130 will cost $625 if this rule goes into effect.
And that vastly higher fee will be for records that, in many cases, should have already been transferred to the National Archives and so available to us all for much lower fees.
Now… I’ve written about this before1 — and you can bet your bottom dollar that I’ll write about it again — but right now, at this moment, there are some persistent myths that are surfacing that need to be dispelled.
First, while it’s absolutely true that there’s a comment on the USCIS website that says fees are not increasing, that reference has nothing to do with this new proposed rule. It’s a now-almost-two-year-old reference to the fact that USCIS was moving some of its records to a different location. The page itself says: “Last Reviewed/Updated: 03/09/2018.”2
So please don’t think that the USCIS is assuring us fees won’t be increased. If this rule is adopted, fees will skyrocket.
Second, some folks are reading the proposed rule to think it applies only to records provided in a paper format and so — they claim — if we get them electronically (via Dropbox, for example) the new fees won’t apply.
Nope, nope, nope, nope. The new rule only says that one of its two forms will be limited to paper records. It’s just that we won’t need to submit two requests (a search request and a records request) if the record is already held in a digital form.
So please don’t think this rule is limited: the fee hikes apply to everything we might ask for or receive from the agency.
And the most critical myth of all: the one that says there’s nothing we can do about this. We can do something — we can speak out. Here’s a game plan every one of us can put into effect, individually, between now and that deadline, two weeks from today:
First: read the proposed rule that changes the fees (it’s online at the Federal Register here, and the section on the fees in the Genealogy Program begins on page 587 here).
Second: Put together your thoughts about why this proposed fee hike is a bad idea. You can look at the Records, Not Revenue website for more information about this and ideas about what to include. You can also read the comments that have already been posted about this proposal at the online portal of the Federal Register here. Write it out and have it ready to upload (the comment system is online, or you can comment in writing by mail). Be sure to specifically mention that you’re commenting on the fees for the Genealogy Program.
Third: Post your comment to the online Federal Register comment system here. The reference number is DHS Docket No. USCIS-2019-0010 — make sure to follow all the instructions, and then check on the Federal Register portal comment page to be sure yours posted.
Fourth: Send a copy of your comments to the two United States Senators from your state and to the member of the House of Representatives for your district. You can get names and contact information for your Senators at Senate.gov and for your House member at House.gov.
Fifth and last: Recruit your fellow genealogists-librarians-historians-researchers-news media friends to join in. This impacts all researchers — and we need to stand together on this.
After you’ve commented, if you’d like to stay informed on this issue, you can sign up for updates at Records, Not Revenue.
So please don’t think this isn’t a problem. Please don’t think it won’t impact our research. And please, please, don’t think there’s nothing we can do.
Speak out.
Be heard.
Fight the fee hikes.
Do it now.
Cite/link to this post: Judy G. Russell, “Fight the fee hikes,” The Legal Genealogist (https://www.legalgenealogist.com/blog : posted 2 Dec 2019).
SOURCES
- Judy G. Russell, “Records, not revenue,” The Legal Genealogist, posted 21 Nov 2019 (https://www.legalgenealogist.com/blog : accessed 2 Dec 2019). ↩
- “USCIS Genealogy Transition to the National Records Center: Will fees change?,” USCIS Genealogy Program (https://www.uscis.gov/genealogy : accessed 2 Dec 2019). ↩
Didn’t our ancestors already pay for a marriage license, passport, drivers licence, etc. A sheet of paper and a little ink isn’t more than a dollar; and it takes about half a minute to print out a copy. This is ridiculous. What , are you trying to hoard OUR ancestors documents? Not fair to charge exorbitant prices. We can barely afford to pay for our DNA plans, let alone documents. These are a matter of public record and should be free except for fees to print it out. Don’t be silly!
This is Crazy and so wrong in many ways!! Shame on this person or persons and or Organization! This is Highway robbery!!
For all the people that index Billions of Records for Free This is a slap in the face!
This is the federal government doing this. Don’t tell me — tell USCIS!
Hi my name is Michelle Dixon and this idea is expensive .
Don’t tell me — tell USCIS!
Thank you, Judy, for bringing this ridiculous and frightening issue to our attention. I’m sharing this with my genealogy friends, and anyone else who might be interested in this issue. I’ll be writing to USCIS and sending copies of my correspondence to my Senators and Representative.
By skimming the purposes of raising the rates it seems to come down to supporting all programs dealing with legal and illegal immigrants…talked about paying many benefits and taking care of all….I doubt if this is coming from the Trump administration as they are fighting against the illegal flow….there are many lifelong unelected bureaucrats who seem to delight in making more and more regulations that cost us money and provide them job security. They have the power to do this without congress or presidential approval.
11 Dec 2019 Federal Register
Docket Name: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Fee Schedule
Docket Number DHS USCIS-2019-0010
Freedom of Information Regarding Fee Hike for Genealogy Records Request
as a Proposed rule by the Homeland Security Department
Please consider my input regarding the above proposed change;
Many people search out deceased family by taking advantage of facilities in the community that provide services at no charge. We, generally have very little knowledge and frequently no verifiable historical data. Finding information relative to our family members and the original countries is extremely challenging. As we research, we are able to put together “ stories about the lives of our loved ones, which should be of interest to every person on earth…to know their ancestors and where they came from.
The proposed Fee increase is Substantial. A significant number of people would never be able to research their family lines. Many times this might be the only source to put the puzzle together from missing records.
Please consider my expression of concern. I’m sure Family Historians, Genealogy Researchers, Individual Families, Students, Genealogy Libraries, Museums, Genealogical Societies and Researchers in general also must be urging you not to allow these increased fees to be imposed. Please consider wisely. Incredible electronic advances are making so much available, quickly and inexpensively. Don’t hold the records hostage from the good people using Genealogy Programs.
Thank you for your time and consideration on this very important matter.