I really think contacting your congressmen/women will help. I sent an email to mine. Yesterday I heard on the radio a short blurb from him saying he is looking into the reason for the raise in price. He is also asking for an audit of that department. He stated that the fee should match the actual cost of the work done to obtain the requested record.
I am so excited to think that by contacting my congressman might make a difference for many people. Marilyn On Thu, Dec 12, 2019 at 9:29 PM JesseAndDeborah Mendonca < jessdebmendo...@gmail.com> wrote: > Thanks Gordon, > > Yes. Everyone needs to get their response in ASAP so we can enjoy the > holidays. But get friends and neighbors and family too. It’s US records > and it affects all of us. So if you are doing genealogy for your entire > family, make it easy for them to put in a response, too. > > Debbie > > On Thu, Dec 12, 2019 at 6:58 PM Gordon soares <gws...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> Cheri should not be carrying the heavy load on this price increase. >> Search a little? Then this will affect you when you want a record and this >> google group may not be able help you. Search a lot and you’re in for some >> heavy fees that will be hard to pass on to others who need your help. Get >> off the dime and support this google group and make your own feelings >> known. >> Gordon >> >> Sent from my iPhone >> >> On Dec 12, 2019, at 6:13 PM, Cheri Mello <gfsche...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> >> >> Cross posted to Azores, Madeira, and IslandRoutes lists. >> >> The deadline to squawk about the records increase has now been moved to >> Monday, Dec. 30th. >> >> I read an article in the Washington Post. For some who want dual >> citizenship, you'll need that naturalization file of your immigrant >> ancestor. We've discussed dual citizenship on the Azores list before. It's >> probably been discussed on the Madeira and IslandRoutes lists as well. >> Maybe you're not interested in dual citizenship today. Maybe you will be in >> a few years. And then you'll be paying $600 for that file. >> >> Also, all researchers should care about the issues involved, even if your >> research does not include these historical records. What can be done to one >> type of record can be done to others! >> >> 1) Go to https://www.recordsnotrevenue.com/? (Yes, the question mark is >> part of the URL). Read the information. >> >> 2) Open another tab with the writing prompts at: >> https://www.recordsnotrevenue.com/conversation-starters/ >> (I blended a couple of them together). >> >> 3) Then submit it via their portal. This must be done by DECEMBER 30th! >> >> Thank you to all who will take the 5-10 minutes to write in! >> Cheri Mello, An avid, hard-core, die-hard genealogist >> >> On Wed, Dec 11, 2019 at 9:14 AM 'Sam (Camas, WA)' via Azores Genealogy < >> azores@googlegroups.com> wrote: >> >>> I totally agree that we have to try and yes, if the “noise” was loud >>> enough in protest, we might have a hope. I did specifically state that the >>> records should be available for us to personally peruse. >>> >>> >>> >>> Sam (Mazatlán, MX) >>> >>> >>> >>> *From: *Cheri Mello <gfsche...@gmail.com> >>> *Sent: *Wednesday, December 11, 2019 10:57 AM >>> *To: *Azores Genealogy <azores@googlegroups.com> >>> *Subject: *Re: [AZORES-Genealogy] Re: USCIS Proposed Fee hikes >>> >>> >>> >>> Thank you Sam. >>> >>> >>> >>> Once in a while, I am surprised and they DO listen. We have to TRY. If >>> only those records could be scanned by NARA so we could access them! >>> >>> Cheri Mello >>> Listowner, Azores-Gen >>> Researching: São Miguel island: Vila Franca, Ponta Garca, Ribeira >>> Quente, Ribeira das Tainhas, Achada >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> On Wed, Dec 11, 2019 at 8:34 AM 'Sam (Camas, WA)' via Azores Genealogy < >>> azores@googlegroups.com> wrote: >>> >>> Not that I think that they will listen to us but; I have submitted my >>> comments. >>> >>> >>> >>> Sam (Mazatlán, MX) >>> >>> >>> >>> *From: *Cheri Mello <gfsche...@gmail.com> >>> *Sent: *Tuesday, December 10, 2019 9:05 PM >>> *To: *madeira-geneal...@googlegroups.com; islandrou...@googlegroups.com; >>> Azores Genealogy <Azores@googlegroups.com> >>> *Subject: *[AZORES-Genealogy] Re: USCIS Proposed Fee hikes >>> >>> >>> >>> (Cross posted: Azores, Madeira, IslandRoutes lists) >>> >>> >>> >>> When I was 10 years old, my immigrant ancestor, who was my >>> great-grandmother, was still alive. I received a photocopy of her >>> naturalization certificate for my history project for school. Pretty cool! >>> She became a U.S. Citizen in 1956. Her husband was already deceased and I >>> was told he didn't want to become a U.S. Citizen. Or so says the family >>> story. >>> >>> >>> >>> The 1940 U.S. Federal Census tells a different story though: >>> >>> [image: cid:16ef5e356b2c42658f1] >>> >>> >>> >>> In the Citizenship column, it states that Manuel Mello has filed papers >>> (at least as of April 1940). His wife, is still listed as an Alien. >>> >>> >>> >>> Want to know how much faith I have in the USCIS finding the CORRECT >>> Manuel Mello? This much: . Yep, that little dot. That's not much faith in >>> them finding the correct Manuel Mello for the current $65 USD. And there's >>> absolutely NO WAY I'd order it for $240. And that's just for them to LOOK >>> for it. I'd rather look myself. I would do a much better job than the >>> government employee. >>> >>> >>> >>> And what about his 2 sisters that came to America and stayed on the east >>> coast? The citizenship data is missing on the 1940 on one sister. I'd love >>> to scour the records myself to see if she naturalized or not. Wouldn't it >>> be great to access these records ourselves? >>> >>> >>> >>> Please write to Records Not Revenue and leave a comment. It takes about >>> 10 minutes. We need a ton of responses whether or not you have the >>> information on your immigrant ancestor or not. >>> >>> >>> >>> 1) Go to https://www.recordsnotrevenue.com/? (Yes, the question mark >>> is part of the URL). Read the information. >>> >>> >>> >>> 2) Open another tab with the writing prompts at: >>> https://www.recordsnotrevenue.com/conversation-starters/ >>> >>> (I blended a couple of them together). >>> >>> >>> >>> 3) Then submit it via their portal. This must be done by DECEMBER 16th! >>> >>> >>> >>> Thanks everybody! Cheri >>> >>> >>> >>> On Mon, Dec 9, 2019 at 8:26 PM Cheri Mello <gfsche...@gmail.com> wrote: >>> >>> (Cross posted to Azores, Maderia, and IslandRoutes lists) >>> >>> >>> >>> The fees for the United States Naturalization records are under review >>> and the new increase will cost us over $600! We have *ONE WEEK* to >>> write and complain. Below are some articles. >>> >>> >>> >>> Dick Eastman's article: >>> >>> >>> https://blog.eogn.com/2019/11/15/uscis-proposes-fee-increases-for-genealogy-records/ >>> >>> >>> >>> Judy Russell's article with a place to complain (with samples and >>> writing prompts). You must complete this by MONDAY, DECEMBER 16. >>> >>> https://www.legalgenealogist.com/2019/11/21/records-not-revenue/ >>> >>> >>> >>> Judy Russell, The Legal Genealogist, blogged about this again. She says: >>> >>> <<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.>> >>> >>> Full article here. >>> >>> https://www.legalgenealogist.com/2019/12/02/fight-the-fee-hikes/ >>> >>> >>> >>> Then someone (Ronnie French? Elaine Mello?) posted this. >>> >>> <<My cousin followed Judy's advice and emailed Reclaim the Records. She >>> said: >>> >>> "I just got an email from Reclaim the Records, and they are talking to >>> their lawyers about this. Apparently, a lot of these records should have >>> been turned over to NARA a while ago, but they urge everyone to comment on >>> the https://www.recordsnotrevenue.com/? page in the hopes that they can >>> in the short term stop the increase while they work on the long term to >>> release the records." >>> >>> >>> >>> 1) Go to https://www.recordsnotrevenue.com/? (Yes, the question mark >>> is part of the URL). Read the information. >>> >>> >>> >>> 2) Open another tab with the writing prompts at: >>> https://www.recordsnotrevenue.com/conversation-starters/ >>> >>> (I blended a couple of them together). >>> >>> >>> >>> 3) Then submit it via their portal. This must be done by DECEMBER 16th! >>> >> >>> >>> >>> >>> I'm going to keep sending this email to the list(s) every couple of days >>> until December 16th! All U.S. researchers need to write in!! >>> >>> >>> >>> Thank you to all who will take the 5-10 minutes to write in! >>> >>> Cheri Mello, An avid, hard-core, die-hard genealogist >>> >>> >>> >>> On Sun, Dec 1, 2019 at 9:30 AM Cheri Mello <gfsche...@gmail.com> wrote: >>> >>> (Cross posted to Madeira and Island Routes lists) >>> >>> >>> >>> Dick Eastman, as well as Judy Russell (The Legal Genealogist) wrote >>> about the huge price increase for U.S. Naturalization records. The new fees >>> are ridiculous! Over $600 total!! >>> >>> >>> >>> Dick Eastman's article: >>> >>> >>> https://blog.eogn.com/2019/11/15/uscis-proposes-fee-increases-for-genealogy-records/ >>> >>> >>> >>> Judy Russell's article with a place to complain (with samples and >>> writing prompts). You must complete this by MONDAY, DECEMBER 16. >>> >>> https://www.legalgenealogist.com/2019/11/21/records-not-revenue/ >>> >>> >>> >>> My cousin followed Judy's advice and emailed Reclaim the Records. She >>> said: >>> >>> <<I just got an email from Reclaim the Records, and they are talking to >>> their lawyers about this. Apparently, a lot of these records should have >>> been turned over to NARA a while ago, but they urge everyone to comment on >>> the https://www.recordsnotrevenue.com/? page in the hopes that they can >>> in the short term stop the increase while they work on the long term to >>> release the records.>> >>> >>> >>> >>> 1) Go to https://www.recordsnotrevenue.com/? (Yes, the question mark >>> is part of the URL). Read the information. >>> >>> >>> >>> 2) Open another tab with the writing prompts at: >>> https://www.recordsnotrevenue.com/conversation-starters/ >>> >>> (I blended a couple of them together). >>> >>> >>> >>> 3) Then submit it via their portal. This must be done by DECEMBER 16th! >>> >>> >>> >>> I'm going to keep sending this email to the list(s) every few days until >>> December 16th! >>> >>> >>> >>> Thank you to all who will take the 5-10 minutes to write in! >>> >>> Cheri Mello, An avid, hard-core, die-hard genealogist >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>> Groups "Azores Genealogy" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>> an email to azores+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >>> To view this discussion on the web visit >>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/azores/CAKUUw_GrEA0%3D03_PyueKQNEkb4XaJ%2B%2BdoKohcqMLLAFQcyBB-Q%40mail.gmail.com >>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/azores/CAKUUw_GrEA0%3D03_PyueKQNEkb4XaJ%2B%2BdoKohcqMLLAFQcyBB-Q%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>> . >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>> Groups "Azores Genealogy" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>> an email to azores+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >>> To view this discussion on the web visit >>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/azores/5df11a82.1c69fb81.9047c.0d94SMTPIN_ADDED_MISSING%40gmr-mx.google.com >>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/azores/5df11a82.1c69fb81.9047c.0d94SMTPIN_ADDED_MISSING%40gmr-mx.google.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>> . >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>> Groups "Azores Genealogy" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>> an email to azores+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >>> To view this discussion on the web visit >>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/azores/CAKUUw_EbxwQHR0PozMMeuic%2B2tmVhaDz3sH_9_L%2BSB%3D7OuwCGg%40mail.gmail.com >>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/azores/CAKUUw_EbxwQHR0PozMMeuic%2B2tmVhaDz3sH_9_L%2BSB%3D7OuwCGg%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>> . >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>> Groups "Azores Genealogy" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>> an email to azores+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >>> To view this discussion on the web visit >>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/azores/5df123e9.1c69fb81.d95bd.189cSMTPIN_ADDED_MISSING%40gmr-mx.google.com >>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/azores/5df123e9.1c69fb81.d95bd.189cSMTPIN_ADDED_MISSING%40gmr-mx.google.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>> . >>> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "Azores Genealogy" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to azores+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >> To view this discussion on the web visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/azores/CAKUUw_EOPEMy-d5HVcYDOrZwwYz8HGsqZzK8vscJY6kx6LVv%2Bw%40mail.gmail.com >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/azores/CAKUUw_EOPEMy-d5HVcYDOrZwwYz8HGsqZzK8vscJY6kx6LVv%2Bw%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "Azores Genealogy" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to azores+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >> To view this discussion on the web visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/azores/42FFF218-6E25-4F47-B119-DB12942C0476%40gmail.com >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/azores/42FFF218-6E25-4F47-B119-DB12942C0476%40gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Azores Genealogy" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to azores+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/azores/CAJ7050sezoL%2BonRv2FyndLEav6KAb9x0DEUryY2vOfW755%2B-ng%40mail.gmail.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/azores/CAJ7050sezoL%2BonRv2FyndLEav6KAb9x0DEUryY2vOfW755%2B-ng%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Azores Genealogy" group. 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