Records Alert!! USCIS Proposes 492% Fee Increase for Copies of Historical Records

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Fee Schedule and Changes to Certain Other Immigration Benefit Request Requirements – A Proposed Rule by the Homeland Security Department on 11/14/2019

On 14 November 2019, the USCIS submitted a proposed rule for public comment that would increase fees for historical records under its jurisdiction by 492%.

According to the genealogist sponsored website, Records, Not Revenue:

These proposed fees — starting at $240, and going up to a whopping $625 for a single file — are beyond the means of most hobbyist researchers, and in fact, most everyday Americans. The fees are even more inexplicable given that USCIS refers the majority of genealogy record requests to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) program for processing.

CLICK HERE to read the proposed rule.

To learn more about the proposed rule change, its impact on USCIS’ fees, and how you can comment, visit the website for Records, Not Revenue.

Comments on the proposed rule must be submitted by 30 December 2019. If you do submit a comment, please make sure to note the Genealogy Program and DHS Docket No. USCIS-2019-0010 in your comments.

Local New Jersey Press Coverage

NJ.com: Genealogy is expensive and, if not stopped, one price is about to go waaay up | Tracing Our Roots