To Ray and the others

[GregF]

How picky is the INS when it comes to the size of the picture you have to submit with the I-129F package. My Fiancee got her picture done in Vietnam but I am afraid the size may be to big. Will they send the package back if the picture is to big? Can I have a copy of the picture made to the right size and send it with the origional? Or do I have to wait for my Fiancee to try to get pictures made the right size and send them to me? Any help would be much appreciated as we both want to make this process as quick as possible.
Thank You all
Greg F

[Ray]

... in response to To Ray and the others, posted by GregF on Mar 10, 2004

Hi Greg,

They can be very picky on the photo specs, but there is always some allowance because no two photographers will ever make an identical photo. If the photo does not meet their requirements, they will not reject the entire petition, but will instead send you an RFE (Request for Further Evidence) asking for corrected photos.

If the overall photo is too large, it can be trimmed down before they use it. If the facial image on the photo is too large, then they can’t use it. They limit the image size to 32 mm X 28 mm (1 1/4 in. X 1 1/16 in). If the image is a little smaller that the ideal specs, they will probably let it slide.

If you don’t think the photos will meet the specs, you can take them to a professional photographer and see if they can resize them for you. With today’s computer software it’s no big deal. It may cost a little more than you are comfortable with but will save a lot of time. If the photos are marginal and you think you might need to have her send you new ones, I would consider going ahead with submitting the petition with what you have. You never actually know exactly what they will accept until they process your petition. Even if they do send you an RFE, you should have good photos by then and the delay in processing with an RFE is typically less than a month. If you think she can send new photos properly done within a month, then you may want to delay the submission until you get the new ones.

If you have trouble finding a qualified immigration photographer near you, try within 2-3 blocks of a USCIS office. Some photographers specializing in passport photos can also do immigration pics. Either way, you should always bring a copy of the official specs just to make sure they know what they are doing:

http://uscis.gov/graphics/lawsregs/handbook/m-378.pdf

Ray

[GregF]

... in response to Photos, posted by Ray on Mar 11, 2004

Thank you Ray,
  I will wait to see what the pictures she is sending look like when I get them and decide what to do from there. I just hope that they are right because the time it takes just for her to mail something from Vietnam to me here is almost 3 week so if I need her to send new pictures it will be almost a mounth delay. Oh well we will see. Thank you for your help.
Greg F

[Humabdos]

... in response to To Ray and the others, posted by GregF on Mar 10, 2004

n/t