The genealogy community has recently been alerted to a proposed fee hike for obtaining federal immigration records.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service's Genealogy Program allows family history researchers to obtain citizenship and alien registration files, visa applications, and other records documenting the lives of immigrant ancestors who arrived to the U.S. between the late 19th and mid-20th centuries. The proposed changes would nearly triple fees charged to obtain these records- and in some cases, fees would rise nearly 500 percent, from $130 to $625 to obtain a single paper file.
The Federal Register provides details about the proposed rate change- AND on their website, genealogists can make public comments in regards to the fee hike until December 16th.
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