The work of a volunteer for the Immigrant Ancestors Project consists of reading nineteenth-century documents and typing information extracted from them into the IAP extraction software. The images of the documents are organized in batches that volunteers download online. Each volunteer will be expected to extract at least one batch every two or three weeks depending on the section and the batch level assigned. Batches will be assigned to volunteers according to their level of proficiency in the language and according to section needs.
There are tutorials and reference tools available to volunteers to assist in the extraction process. Intermediate ability to read and write in the language of the section and a computer with an Internet connection are required to be a volunteer for the Immigrant Ancestors Project.