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On 15 December the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Justice issued a consultation document on the storage and retention of original will documents, proposing to digitize and then destroy original wills after 25 years (https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/storage-and-retention-of-original-will-documents). 

On 21 February 2024, the APG Board of Directors submitted a response to the Ministry of Justice, expressing concern for the recent proposal:

While APG applauds the initiative to digitize and make accessible the wills held by the Ministry of Justice, APG does not support the destruction of these valuable documents, as there are real risks in digitization. Wills provide a valuable glimpse into the networks, lives, and families of citizens and residents of the UK and the former Empire. They are of immense genealogical value and oftentimes paint a picture of the people being researched. Not only that, wills provide valuable data for social and economic history, telling the stories of the commonfolk and luminaries alike. The destruction of the original wills will effectively put three centuries of history at risk; in particular, the history of those often forgotten.

APG’s comment also urges the Ministry of Justice and Parliament to reconsider this proposal and find a solution that will preserve and make accessible these valuable pieces of British and global history. 

Back by popular demand! Join your colleagues on Monday, 19 February 2024 from 2:00–3:00 PM EST for the APG Career Idea Exchange, a special hour of networking and discussion. In our focused breakout rooms, you will be able to exchange ideas, share knowledge, and visit with your fellow APG members. Register at https://www.apgen.org/events/career-idea-exchange-members-only

In early 2023, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) proposed significant price increases to the fees required to access their genealogy records. Such increases would have negatively impacted genealogists’ ability to access the records, also impacting their businesses.

As part of a campaign spearheaded by Records Not Revenue, genealogy professionals and others who would be affected submitted comments in opposition to the proposed fee increases. APG’s Advocacy Committee was quick to organize the association’s response, encouraging association members to submit their feedback to USCIS; you can read APG’s official comments on the proposed fee increases here.

On 31 January 2024, the USCIS published the final rule, one that included a reduction in fees for the genealogy program.

“The fee reduction announcement shows that grassroots advocacy works,” said Renée Carl, APG Advocacy Committee member and Records Not Revenue volunteer. “Hundreds of genealogists, hobbyists, and historians took the time to send comments to USCIS, and they let their members of Congress know about the issue. This accomplishment would not have happened without the groundswell of support.”

According to Records Not Revenue, under the new rule, a Genealogy Program Index Search will drop from $65 to $30, if filed online. Genealogy Program Record Requests filed online will now cost $30 per record. This is a 54% fee cut to access the USCIS historical records. See the image for further details.

The records held by the USCIS Genealogy Program include immigration and naturalization documents for millions of immigrants to the US. The new rule states that Genealogy Program records that have already been digitized (including Alien Registration Forms and Certificate Files created before about 1944) will be provided with the results of an Index Search, with no additional fee. Visa Files, Registry Files, high-numbered C-Files, and A-Files all remain in paper form.