Washington–The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued new policy guidance tightening the rules on the use of photographs for immigration documents, a move the agency says is aimed at strengthening national security and reducing identity fraud.
Under the updated policy, which takes effect immediately, USCIS will reuse a previously collected photograph only if it is no more than 36 months old at the time an applicant files an immigration form. The photograph must have been taken during a biometric services appointment or through another USCIS-approved process.
The new rule applies broadly across immigration benefit requests, with certain exceptions that will always require a fresh photograph, regardless of when a prior image was taken.
In a significant shift, USCIS has also eliminated the acceptance of self-submitted photographs. Going forward, only images captured by USCIS or other authorized entities will be used to produce secure immigration documents. The agency said this ensures that photographs are “recent, accurate, and reliable,” a standard it considers critical to preventing identity theft and fraud.
In a statement, USCIS said the policy reflects a reassessment of flexibilities introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the agency reused older photographs to limit in-person visits to application support centers. While those measures helped maintain operations during the pandemic, USCIS said they ultimately weakened identity verification and screening processes.
According to the agency, the pandemic-era policy at times resulted in secure immigration documents being issued with photographs that could be as old as 22 years by the time the document expired, raising concerns about reliability and security.
USCIS had already begun tightening photograph reuse rules in September 2024, limiting reuse to a maximum of 10 years for most applicants and imposing shorter limits for younger individuals. The new guidance goes further by establishing a uniform three-year standard and removing the need to calculate photo age based on a document’s validity period.
The agency said it retains discretion to require a new photograph even within the three-year window and emphasized that photo reuse is no longer automatic.
Certain immigration applications will always require new biometrics, including a fresh photograph. These include Form I-90 (replacement of permanent resident card), Form I-485 (adjustment of status), Form N-400 (naturalization), and Form N-600 (certificate of citizenship).
USCIS said the revised policy reflects a broader return to pre-pandemic norms, with increased reliance on in-person services and biometric collection as part of its effort to safeguard the integrity of the U.S. immigration system. (Source: IANS)
