USCIS innovation: 500% more about immigrant ancestors in the US

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) intends to increase the fee for receiving immigration files by 500% - meaning some people will have to pay more than $600 for the documents. The move will affect the families of millions of people who immigrated to the United States in the late 1800s and early 1900s, writes NPR.

Фото: Depositphotos

Dec. 30 is the deadline to submit comments to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on a proposed increase in fees for access to records, which include documents dating back 100 years and older that could be useful to genealogists.

"It's a story of immigration," says Renee Karl, a genealogist in Washington, D.C., who works with clients who use these records.

“If a person came from a displaced persons camp in Europe, they would fill out all this paperwork while still in Europe,” Karl says. — Then you receive information about the arrival of the document. You receive a photo if there is a visa file. You almost always get a photo.”

Carl says the agency has millions of records. These include aliens registration files, documents for naturalization certificates, and visa files if a person has applied for a visa to enter the United States.

“There might be something called a registry file if, during the naturalization process, the government couldn't find the person on the ship's manifest, so they tried to document how they entered the country,” Carl says.

For those who are trying to trace the history of their family, these files may contain important information, including photographs. Karl said genealogy research goes beyond just wanting to know the names of relatives; people want to understand what kind of life their ancestors lived.

“It happens that you have never seen a photograph of your great-grandfather except when you were old, not when you were young,” says Carl. “It gives you an opportunity to understand what their life was like when you can no longer ask them questions.”

On the subject: Immersion into the Past: Amazing American Museums of 'Live' History

Karl says that even if there are no photos in the files, they almost always contain a signature, "which allows you to keep the human touch in the record."

Carl believes USCIS documents can be especially important for the US population, which is subject to discriminatory immigration laws. These groups include residents of Japanese descent who were denied citizenship until the end of World War II, and people of Chinese descent who were subject to immigration and citizenship restrictions in the 1870s and 1950s.

Carl and her colleagues created a website with additional information on the files that are available to USCIS, the proposed fees, and how to comment on the innovation.

She says she first learned about the value of immigration documents when she conducted a study of her family.

“My grandfather came to this country as a child and became a citizen,” she said. “But in the 1960s, my grandfather didn’t know where his naturalization certificate was. He wanted a copy with his name on it. And he also had to prove how old he was until retirement so he could start receiving his benefits.”

He came from Eastern Europe as a child, his grandfather did not have a birth certificate, so in order to prove his age, Karl found in the documents a letter from the St. Louis School Council that he went to first grade at 8 years old.

“That gave me the name of the school he attended. It’s small things, but it gave me insight into the person as a child,” she says. - You understand, they lived their whole lives. These records are one way to glimpse another part of the lives of our immigrant ancestors.”

According to Karl, if the fee is increased, then at least $ 240 will be required to place a request to search for records from USCIS. The fee covers some notes, she says: “But if there is a paper folder, they will add another 385 dollars to the fee. So a total of $ 625 per folder per person. ”

On the subject: The incredible story of World War II: 'I found out that my older sister is my mother'

Currently, searching costs about $65, and retrieving records costs another $65.

“It makes a huge difference,” says Carl. - This is already expensive for documents that should be in the National Archives. A lot of these documents should be free for people to use.”

A USCIS press release states that fees are required to cover the processing costs of these applications. But Karl says fees are redundant.

“Our immigrant ancestors paid fees when they filled out forms. If these records were transferred to the National Archives, they would be available for research. These records will then be stored in a location that is routinely used for file processing, rather than at the agency that handles immigration and naturalization,” she says.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Where you will be free to help prepare for US citizenship

Mayors of 50 U.S. cities oppose rising immigration prices

Less than 1%: asylum seekers on the US-Mexico border receive it less and less

5 Ways to Get US Citizenship Most Immigrants Don't Know About

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.