US Announces 3-Year Rule Affecting Foreigners Seeking Green Card, Citizenship

• The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services announced a new photo policy affecting foreigners seeking Green Cards and citizenship
• The rule requires that all photos used in immigration documents be taken within three years of the date an applicant files their form
• USCIS also banned self-submitted photos, meaning all images must now come from official or authorised sources only

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has introduced a new photo policy that directly affects foreigners pursuing permanent residency and citizenship in the country, including Ghanaians and other Africans on the japa journey.

Under the updated guidance published in the USCIS Policy Manual, any photograph submitted as part of an immigration application must have been taken within three years of the date the applicant files their form.

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This marks a significant tightening of the rules that governed photo submissions in recent years.

What Changed Under the New USCIS Photo Rule

Beyond the three-year limit, USCIS has scrapped the option for applicants to supply their own photographs entirely.

Going forward, only images captured by USCIS itself or another authorised entity will be accepted for inclusion on secure immigration documents.

The agency stated that the change was driven by the need to keep its screening and vetting processes both reliable and resistant to fraud.

Officials noted that pandemic-era flexibilities had allowed photos to be reused for up to 10 years, even in cases where an applicant's appearance had changed considerably.

These measures remained in place well past their intended purpose, creating gaps in the agency's ability to confirm applicant identities.

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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.

Which Application Forms Are Affected

USCIS identified four specific forms that will require a fresh photograph 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 Ghanaians and other Africans navigating the immigration process in the United States, the practical implication is clear: any photo submitted alongside these forms must be recent and must not have been taken at a self-service booth or provided independently outside official channels.

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USCIS described the requirement as essential to producing documents that are "recent, accurate, and reliable," underscoring the agency's commitment to tightening identity verification across the immigration system.

Source: YEN.com.gh