USCIS Evidence Upload: File Types and 12 MB Limit

In short: each evidence file you upload when you file a USCIS form online must be a PDF, JPG or JPEG of no more than 12 MB. Some forms also take TIF or TIFF. If a scan is bigger, Compress PDF shrinks it in your browser, and JPG to PDF turns phone photos of a document into one PDF.

These rules come from USCIS's page of tips for filing forms online. They are the same whether you fill out the form online or upload a filled-out PDF form, and the page sets no limit on how many files you upload.

What USCIS accepts as evidence

The rules in the official words

Every rule above, in USCIS's own words, with a link to the page they are on.

• Files must not be larger than 12MB.
  USCIS: Tips for filing forms online
• Files generally must be PDFs, JPGs, or JPEGs. For some forms, we also accept files in TIF or TIFF format.
  USCIS: Tips for filing forms online
• Do not encrypt or password-protect your files.
  USCIS: Tips for filing forms online
• Use a scanner or photograph each document. Make sure each image you attach is clear and that all text is readable.
  USCIS: Tips for filing forms online
• If your documents are in a foreign language, upload the original document, a certified English translation, and the translator’s certificate for each document.
  USCIS: Tips for filing forms online
• If we require passport-style photos, you must either scan them or take a picture with your phone.
  USCIS: Tips for filing forms online

How to shrink a PDF under 12 MB

1. Check the file size. On Windows, right-click the file and choose Properties; on a Mac, choose Get Info. Under 12 MB? Upload it as it is.
2. Over 12 MB? Open Compress PDF, keep Smaller, tick Target max PDF size and type 11,500 KB. That leaves a small margin under 12 MB.
3. Drop the PDF and click Compress PDF. The new size shows when it is done. Download the file.
4. Open the result and zoom in on the smallest print. USCIS wants all text readable, so if a stamp or a date has gone soft, take the pages apart with Split PDF and compress each half to the same limit.
5. Is the PDF password-protected, like many bank statements? USCIS does not take protected files, so remove the password with Unlock PDF first, then compress the unlocked copy.

Smaller turns each page into a picture, which is where the big savings on scans come from. The text can no longer be selected afterwards, which does not matter for a scanned birth certificate or pay stub.

How to turn phone photos of a document into one PDF

USCIS takes JPG files, so a single photo under 12 MB can go up as it is. For a document with several pages, one PDF keeps the pages together and in order.

1. Photograph each page flat, in daylight, with the whole page in the frame and no shadow across the text.
2. Open JPG to PDF and add the photos. Put them in page order with the arrows and turn any sideways page with the rotate button.
3. Pick Letter as the page size, tick Target max PDF size and type 11,500 KB.
4. Click Create PDF, check that every page reads clearly, and download the PDF.

Do not compress the form itself

If you file by uploading a filled-out PDF form, leave that form as it is. USCIS says its forms are made for Adobe Acrobat Reader:

• USCIS forms are optimized for Adobe Acrobat Reader version 10.0 or higher (PDF Version 1.7) to ensure full compatibility.
  USCIS: Tips for filing forms online

Smaller turns pages into pictures, which would flatten the form's fields. Fill out and save the form in Adobe Acrobat Reader, and compress only your evidence.

Checked against USCIS's tips for filing forms online on 23 October 2026. The rules can change, so read the page before you file.