US Announces 3-Year Rule Affecting Foreigners Seeking Green Card, Citizenship
- US Citizenship and Immigration Services announced a policy limiting how old photos used in immigration documents can be
- The rule affects foreigners applying for Green Cards, naturalisation, and citizenship certificates, requiring photos no older than three years
- Self-submitted photos are now banned under the policy, with only images taken by USCIS or other authorised entities accepted going forward
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The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) introduced a photo policy that directly affects foreigners seeking Green Cards, naturalisation, and citizenship in the country.
The guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual states that any photo used to produce immigration documents must have been taken within three years of the date the applicant files their form.
Source: UGC
What the USCIS Photo Rule Means
Beyond the three-year limit, USCIS also scrapped the option for applicants to submit their own photographs.
Only photos captured by USCIS itself or another authorised entity will be accepted for use on secure immigration documents.
The agency cited the need to keep its screening and vetting processes reliable and fraud-resistant as the driving force behind the change.
Officials noted that pandemic-era flexibilities, which had allowed photos to be reused for as long as 10 years even where a person's appearance had changed considerably, remained in place well past their intended purpose and created gaps in the agency's ability to confirm the identity of applicants.
Which Application Forms Are Affected
The policy applies broadly, but USCIS specifically named four forms that will require a fresh photo regardless of when an applicant last provided one.
These are Form I-90, used to replace a Permanent Resident Card; Form I-485, the application to register for permanent residence or adjust immigration status; Form N-400, the Application for Naturalisation; and Form N-600, the Application for a Certificate of Citizenship.
For Nigerians and other Africans in the United States navigating the japa journey towards permanent residency or citizenship, the rule means ensuring that any photo submitted as part of these applications is recent and was not taken at a self-service booth or provided independently.
All images must now come through official channels, a requirement USCIS described as essential to producing documents that are "recent, accurate, and reliable."
The Department of Homeland Security framed the update as part of a broader effort to modernise its identity verification systems and close vulnerabilities that could be exploited for fraud or identity theft.
US announces action against illegal immigrants
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced the removal of 8 illegal immigrants following weekend operations across the country.
Those deported include nationals from El Salvador, Mexico, and Guatemala convicted of offences ranging from drug distribution to child explo1tation.
Source: Legit.ng
