US immigration authorities have tightened rules on the use of photographs for immigration documents, limiting how old a photo can be and ending the acceptance of self-submitted images. The new policy, issued by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services ( USCIS ), takes effect immediately and is aimed at reducing identity fraud and strengthening national security.

Under the updated guidance, USCIS will only use photographs that were taken within three years of the date a person files an immigration form. Photos older than three years will no longer be accepted for creating secure immigration documents. USCIS also said it will stop accepting photos submitted directly by applicants. Instead, only photographs taken by USCIS or other authorised entities will be used.

USCIS said the chan

See Full Page