Send-own-foto rule is out of the picture

IF YOU are applying to naturalize, you don’t have to submit photographs with your application. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services no longer requires them.

The new rule makes sense, since USCIS snaps photos at a “biometrics” appointment in which the agency also takes fingerprints for criminal record checks. For now, that rule applies only to USCIS form N-400, Application for Naturalization. You still must submit photos as requested in other applications.

Also new is the requirement that applicants 75 or older appear for fingerprint and photograph appointments. These individuals remain exempt from paying the biometrics fee of $85, so they pay only a $595 filing fee instead of the $680 paid by others. USCIS reminds naturalization applicants that domestic USCIS facilities are accessible to individuals with disabilities.

And, where necessary, USCIS can send officers to provide for the needs of individuals who are homebound or hospitalized. USCIS calls this “homebound processing.” Applicants who need homebound processing or have a special request based on a disability should submit a service request at or call the National Customer Service Center anytime at (800) 375-5283. Can I interview here for my green card if my U.S. citizen daughter petitions for me? If so, can I get work permission while I wait to become a permanent resident? I came here in 2014 on a B1/B2 visitor’s visa. A U.S. border officer admitted me for six months but I never left. My daughter just turned 21. If your daughter petitions for you, you can simultaneously apply to interview for your green card in the United States, in a process called adjustment of status. You can include an application for employment authorization and — for advanced parole — USCIS travel permission. That way you can travel abroad while your adjustment of status application is pending.

USCIS will interview you for your green card here despite your unlawful status. That's because since you were inspected at entry and your daughter is over 21, you qualify as an immediate relative of a U.S. citizen.

QA