Tracing your roots is about to be a lot more expensive if the Trump Administration passes proposed rate increases for historical documents.
In November, the Department of Homeland Security announced rulemaking adjustment proposals for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' Immigration Examinations Fee Account schedule. What once cost between $40 and $50 could soon cost upwards of $600.
"I don't know of any other agency or archive that charges that kind of money to obtain a copy of a historical document, said Rich Venezia.
Venezia is a professional genealogist in Pittsburgh. Hes one of nearly a dozen people in his field leading the charge to convince the government to not make the rate increase.
"These new fees would run you anywhere from -- starting at $240 and go all the way to possibly $600 just to get a copy of a single file, said Venezia.
Researching family history is extremely popular right now. However, Venezia says if the rates skyrocket, that casual hobby will disappear.
"I think theres very few people doing hobbyist genealogy in the country that have a spare $240 and certainly not $625 to obtain copies of records, said Venezia.
The genealogy program by the USCIS allows genealogists like Venezia and everyday people the opportunity to obtain citizenship and alien registration files, visa applications and other records of immigrants who came to the U.S. through Ellis Island between the late 19th and mid-20th centuries.
In November, the acting director of the USCIS, Ken Cuccinelli, released this statement regarding the proposal"
USCIS is required to examine incoming and outgoing expenditures, just like a business, and make adjustments based on that analysis. This proposed adjustment in fees would ensure more applicants cover the true cost of their applications and minimizes subsidies from an already over-extended system...Furthermore, the adjudication of immigration applications and petitions requires in-depth screening, incurring costs that must be covered by the agency, and this proposal accounts for our operational needs and better aligns our fee schedule with the costs of processing each request.
Venezias effort Records, Not Revenue aims to lay out all the information and give people a place to go to make public comment the USCIS will review. The public comment period ends on Dec. 30.