Green Card photo checker for Form I-485

This page covers photographs you supply with Form I-485 for adjustment of status in the United States. The I-485 instructions describe the form as an application for a person in the United States. If you are processing abroad through a U.S. embassy or consulate, follow the Department of State’s visa photo requirements instead. Take the photo against a plain white or off-white background, and do not digitally enhance or alter it to change your appearance. Also check your embassy or consulate’s instructions for how to submit the photos.

Prepare the I-485 photographs

The USCIS I-485 instructions, edition 09/18/26, page 8, under “What Evidence Must You Submit with Form I-485? / 1. Photographs,” call for two identical recent color passport-style photographs. They must be 2 × 2 inches, printed on thin paper with a glossy finish, unmounted and unretouched, against a white to off-white background.

Where the photos fit in your I-485 package

Photographs are the first item in the I-485 evidence list. The next item is separate: a photocopy of a government-issued identity document that has your photograph, such as a passport or driver’s license. That copy does not replace the two 2 × 2-inch prints, and the prints do not replace the copy.

The same page warns that if you do not submit required evidence, USCIS may reject or deny the application. Include both prints in the package you file.

Common photo problems and when to retake

The same instructions require a full-face frontal view, with head height from the top of the hair to the chin measuring 1 to 1⅜ inches. A turned face or head outside that range needs correction. For a new capture, face the camera fully and leave enough space to meet the head-size requirement in the final 2 × 2-inch photograph.

If the background is unsuitable or the photograph no longer represents a recent capture, take another photo. Replace prints that do not match the specified paper and finish, and check that the pair is identical.

What this limited profile can tell you

The tool measures aspect ratio, number of faces and head height, and estimates pose. It cannot verify the prints, their recency or whether they match, and it does not check background color or eye position; page 8 also states an eye-height requirement. The lists below show the full coverage.

The I-485 instructions require unretouched photos. For this route, background replacement is also not allowed by the profile. The source does not address cropping; that silence does not establish permission. Use a retake when the scene needs correcting.