- US now rejects photos older than three years for immigration paperwork
- Applicants cannot submit photos directly; only USCIS or authorised photos accepted
- The previous photo reuse limit of 10 years has been reduced to 3 years amid identity concerns
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has tightened its rules on photographs used for immigration paperwork, introducing stricter limits aimed at reducing identity fraud.
Under the revised policy, applicants will no longer be able to rely on old photos. USCIS said it will not accept images that are more than three years old, and photographs submitted directly by applicants will also be rejected. Instead, only pictures captured by USCIS itself or by authorised service providers will be considered valid.
The change comes as part of a broader revamp of the US immigration system. Previously, USCIS permitted the reuse of photographs that were up to a decade old for certain applications that did not require fresh biometrics. That window has now been reduced from 10 years to three.
The agency traced the origins of the earlier flexibility to the Covid-19 pandemic, when it allowed the reuse of previously collected images. This led to extreme cases in which applicants relied on photographs taken as long as 22 years earlier. After pandemic restrictions eased, USCIS capped photo reuse at 10 years, a limit it now considers inadequate.
According to the agency, physical appearance can change substantially over such long periods, undermining effective identity checks. The older policy, USCIS said, weakened its ability to verify, identify and properly screen aliens.
Explaining the new standard, the agency said, "USCIS is now changing its photograph reuse policy. USCIS may only reuse a previously collected photograph if, at the time of filing, no more than 36 months (3 years) have passed since the date the photograph was collected at a BSA. This policy applies to all immigration benefit requests, with the exception of the Application for Naturalization (Form N-400), the Application for Certificate of Citizenship (Form N-600), the Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card (Form I-90), and the Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status (Form I-485). These forms require the collection of new biometrics, including a new photograph."
USCIS also clarified that it retains the authority to demand a fresh photograph in any case, even when an existing image might otherwise be eligible for reuse.
