USCIS

USCIS Photo Requirements

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USCIS Passport Style Photo Requirements

USCIS Photo Requirements : September 1, 2023 :9:47 pm :USCIS :USCIS USCIS Petition/Application Photo Requirements USCIS requires that you provide photographs of yourself with your visa petition or with certain immigration benefit applications (asylum, adjustment of status, employment authorization, and others). Below are USCIS’ requirements for the “passport-style photographs” that must be sent with petitions/applications that require photos. These photos are required for the DV lottery (diversity visa lottery), Adjustment of Status (green card) Application, all visa applications, U.S. passports, and other immigration benefits. The below guidance was taken directly from USCIS and the U.S. Department of State, however, the acceptance of your digital images or photos is at the discretion of USCIS, or if you are consular processing then with the U.S. embassy or consulate where you apply. We recommend you use a professional visa/passport photo service to ensure your photo meets all the requirements. This service is offered at most drug store chains like CVS, Duane Reade, Rite Aid, Walgreens , etc. Online Visa/Passport Photo Services U.S. Government Online Photo Tool The U.S. Government provides this tool free of charge. You can take the photo of yourself and then upload your photo and use the tool to crop and resize your image to the proper dimensions. Find the photo tool here https://tsg.phototool.state.gov/photo. Photo Tips Examples: Your photos or digital images must be: Snapshots, magazine photos, low quality vending machine or mobile phone photos, and full-length photographs are not acceptable. Applicants using Form DS-260 (Consular Processing) If you are applying for an immigrant visa, using Form DS-260, you must provide two (2) identical photos at your immigrant visa interview. Your photos must be: 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm) in size Printed on photo quality paper. TAKING THE PHOTO YOURSELF Paper Photo Head Size Template Photo 2” inches by 2 “ The height of the head (top of hair to bottom of chin) should measure 1” to 1”  (25 mm – 35 mm) Make sure the eye height is between 1 ⅛”  to 1 ⅜” (28 mm – 35 mm) from the bottom of the photo Digital Image Head Size Template The top of the head, including the hair, to the bottom of the chin must be between 50% and 69% of the image’s total height. The eye height (measured from the bottom of the image to the level of the eyes) should be between 56% and 69% of the image’s height. Image pixel dimensions must be in a square aspect ratio (meaning the height must be equal to the width). Minimum acceptable dimensions are 600 pixels (width) x 600 pixels (height). Maximum acceptable dimensions are 1200 pixels (width) x 1200 pixels (height). Find Photo Tool:  https://tsg.phototool.state.gov/photo Use the Department of State’s free photo tool to upload a photo from your phone or computer and crop it to exactly 600 x 600. Scanning an existing photo? In addition to the digital image requirements, your existing photo must be: Digital Image Requirements The digital image must adhere to the following specifications: Dimensions The image dimensions must be in a square aspect ratio (the height must be equal to the width). Minimum acceptable dimensions are 600 x 600 pixels. Maximum acceptable dimensions are 1200 x 1200 pixels. Please review photo requirements for specific dimensions. Color The image must be in color (24 bits per pixel) in sRGB color space which is the common output for most digital cameras. File Format The image must be in JPEG file format File Size The image must be less than or equal to 240 kB (kilobytes). Compression The image may need to be compressed in order for it to be under the maximum file size. The compression ratio should be less than or equal to 20:1. Taking Photos Of Your Baby Or Toddler When taking a photo of your baby or toddler, no other person should be in the photo, and your child should be looking at the camera with his or her eyes open. Tip 1: Lay your baby on his or her back on a plain white or off-white sheet. This will ensure your baby’s head is supported and provide a plain background for the photo. Make certain there are no shadows on your baby’s face, especially if you take a picture from above with the baby lying down. Tip 2: Cover a car seat with a plain white or off-white sheet and take a picture of your child in the car seat. This will also ensure your baby’s head is supported Change of Appearance If your photo(s) or digital image does not reflect your current appearance, even if it is not older than 6 months, the U.S. embassy or consulate will request that you provide a new photo with your application. Applicants will be requested to obtain a new photo if they have: Generally, if you can still be identified from the photo in your visa application, you will not need to submit a new photo. For example, growing a beard or coloring your hair would not generally be considered a significant change of appearance. If the appearance of your child under the age of 16 has changed due to the normal aging process, he or she will generally not have to provide a new photo. However, the acceptance of your photo or digital image is at the discretion of the U.S. embassy or consulate where you apply. Additional Requirements for Nonimmigrant Visas Applicants using Form DS-160 or Form DS-1648 If you are applying for a nonimmigrant visa by filling out the DS-160 or DS-1648 online form, the form will instruct you to upload your digital image as part of completing the online visa application form. Review the Digital Image Requirements, which also provide additional requirements if you are scanning an existing photo. Some embassies and consulates require visa applicants to bring one (1) photo, which meets requirements, to the interview. Review the embassy or consulate instructions where you will apply to learn more. Additional Requirements for the Diversity … Read more

USCIS Pushing Online FOIA Requests Hard

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The Freedom of Information Act 5 U.S.C. § 552, is the United States’ federal law that requires the full or partial disclosure of previously unreleased or uncirculated information and documents controlled by the U.S. Federal Government upon request [full text of 5 U.S.C.§552]. The act defines agency records subject to disclosure, outlines mandatory disclosure procedures, and includes nine exemptions that define categories of information not subject to disclosure. The act was intended to make U.S. government agencies’ functions more transparent so that the American public could more easily identify problems in government functioning and put pressure on Congress, agency officials, and the president to address them. The FOIA has been changed repeatedly by both the legislative and executive branches. In the context of immigration law FOIA requests are a powerful and commonly used tool since it allows for immigrants to get a copy of their immigration file and the records the government has on them. This is done sometimes because immigrants lost documents or they had a lawyer that never gave them the documents, or sometimes to see if there are records of them being stopped years ago, and if so, to find out what exactly happened during that prior encounter with immigration since often the immigrant will not have any idea what was happening since everyone was speaking English at the time. They are also an important tool for journalists to be able to obtain information and proof for stories about the government. News organizations often use FOIA for reporting purposes, but such requests still only make up less than 10% of all FOIA requests. For more information about the Freedom of Information Act or to learn how to file a FOIA request see our FOIA page or our How-To FOIA Guide. USCIS’ EMAIL RESPONSE TO REQUESTS SENT BY MAIL If you submit a FOIA request by regular mail, which is still an option despite USCIS hiding all information about how to do so on their website, then USCIS send the following email once they receive the request sent by mail (copied and pasted from my email including the typo in USCIS’ automated email):

Temporary Protected Status Extension and Redesignation for Ukraine & El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua and Sudan

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Temporary Protected Status Extension and Redesignation for Ukraine On Aug. 18, 2023, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas announced the extension and redesignation of Ukraine for TPS for 18 months. The extension of TPS for Ukraine allows current beneficiaries to retain TPS through April 19, 2025, if they meet eligibility requirements. Existing beneficiaries of TPS for Ukraine seeking to avoid gaps in their employment authorization documentation may re-register during the 60-day re-registration period which runs from Aug. 21, 2023, through Oct. 20, 2023. The redesignation allows Ukrainian nationals (and individuals having no nationality who last habitually resided in Ukraine) who have continuously resided in the United States since Aug. 16, 2023, and have been continuously physically present in the United States since Oct. 20, 2023, to file initial applications for TPS, if they are otherwise eligible. USCIS his conducting a public engagement on Temporary Protected Status Extension and Redesignation for Ukraine on Tuesday, October, 3rd at 2-3pm EST. You can find more information about the engagement here. Read the announcement. DHS Extends TPS Re-registration Periods for El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua and Sudan to 18 Months The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is extending from 60 days to 18 months the periods to re-register for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) under the designations of El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua and Sudan.  The 18-month re-registration period under the designation of:  This re-registration extension will allow TPS beneficiaries to submit Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status, and Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, at any time during the 18-month extensions of the TPS designations of these six countries.  For more information regarding Sudan’s TPS extension and redesignation, please refer to 88 FR 56864, dated Aug. 21, 2023. See the announcement on the USCIS website. For up-to-date information, please check the TPS webpage or call the USCIS TPS Hotline at 202-272-1533. (Please note that this is not a toll-free number.)

Passport Style Photos For USCIS

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Visa photo for USCIS template

WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE “PASSPORT STYLE PHOTOGRAPHS” THAT USCIS REQUIRES WITH CERTAIN APPLICATIONS AND VISA PETITIONS? USCIS requires that you provide photographs of yourself with your visa petition or with certain immigration benefit applications (asylum, adjustment of status, employment authorization, and others). Below are USCIS’ requirements for the “passport-style photographs” that must be sent with petitions/applications that require photos. These photos are required for the DV lottery (diversity visa lottery), Adjustment of Status (green card) Application, all visa applications, U.S. passports, and other immigration benefits. There are actually a surprising number of memos, directives, and other guidance from USCIS and the U.S. Department of State detailing strict requirements for these photos even though they don’t explain it at all anywhere in the form instructions or on their website. The State Department even offers an online tool for cropping your passport style photos at https://tsg.phototool.state.gov/photo. They have specific instructions for infants as well. According to the guidelines from the State Department: Your photos must be Snapshots, magazine photos, low quality vending machine or mobile phone photos, and full-length photographs are not acceptable. You can go to most chain drug stores and get these photos done in five minutes for about ten dollars, which is what I would recommend doing. There are also many professional services that offer various systems for doing these for you. Finally, more and more people are starting to just do it themselves which is why the State Department created a tool to help people with that. For all the details about the requirements for photographs submitted with visa petitions and application for immigration benefits see our Immigration Benefit/Visa Petition Photo Page on the topic. HOW TO SUBMIT THE REQUIRED PHOTOGRAPH OF YOURSELF TO IMMIGRATION WITH YOUR APPLICATION OR PETITION You can read all the boring details here otherwise see the important highlights below. Online Visa/Passport Photo Services U.S. Government Online Photo Tool The U.S. Government provides this photo tool free of charge. You can take the photo of yourself and then upload your photo and use the tool to crop and resize your image to the proper dimensions (600x600px). TIPS FOR TAKING YOUR OWN PHOTO You can find templates for cropping and printing your photo for USCIS on our immigration photo requirements page along with more examples and information.

USCIS Launches Online Appointment Request Form

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USCIS is now allowing for people to schedule an in-person appointment at USCIS using an online form. It will no longer be necessary to call the USCIS 1-800 number, say ‘infopass,’ then talk to a rep to schedule an appointment. It’s nice of USCIS to bring back this option that used to exist but they removed a few years ago when they thought they might be able to get rid of infopass appointments. Appointments are limited to certain circumstances by USCIS. An appointment can only be scheduled if the issue falls into one of their eligible categories: The USCIS link to schedule an infopass appointment is https://my.uscis.gov/appointment/v2.

USCIS Introduces Online Form to Request a Field Office Appointment

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USCIS update

On August 21, 2023, USCIS launched a new online form for individuals, attorneys, and accredited representatives to request an in-person appointment for certain customer service-related appointment requests, such as ADIT stamp or emergency advanced parole, at their local field office without having to call the USCIS Contact Center.