How to fill out a Green Card application in 2021

What is the Green Card Lottery?

Green Card is a document that allows you to legally live and work in the United States. You can become its owner by winning the Green Card lottery.

The lottery began to be held in 1994. Every year, the American State Department carries out a lottery draw, based on the results of which 50,000 green cards are drawn. Thanks to immigrants, the country has received an influx of new experience and culture. Each nationality has contributed to the development of the nation.

Video from the official Youtube channel of the US Embassy:

Benefits of a US Green Card

Legal permanent residence in the United States
The right to official employment without additional permits
Free movement throughout America
Use of high quality medical services
The right to purchase real estate and cars at preferential prices
Opportunity to obtain US citizenship after 5 years of residence in the country
Getting an education at any US educational institution
Registering and running your own business in American territory
Eligibility for service in certain branches of the American armed forces
Possibility of receiving social benefits and benefits

Deadlines for submitting an application for participation in the lottery

To participate in the Green Card lottery, you must submit an online application in accordance with all the rules.

You can apply for participation in the Green Card DV-2022 lottery from the beginning of October to the end of November.

Application forms are accepted on the resource https://dvprogram.state.gov/ absolutely free of charge. This resource is official; all other sites offering to fill out an application are not official and may charge financial compensation for their services. We do not recommend applying on such sites.

The application is a form that must be filled out in English. Only 1 form is completed per person. If this rule is violated, all entrant entries will be disqualified.

How to get a Green Card?

There are different ways to obtain a Green Card. Below we will look at all the methods.

The most popular way is to take part in the annual Green Card lottery, which is conducted by the US State Department. The official name of the lottery is DV Lottery (Electronic Diversity Visa Lottery). The Green Card lottery is held once a year. Submission of applications for participation takes place in the fall from October to November. You can register on the official website of the Green Card lottery https://www.dvlottery.state.gov/.
all other methods are discussed in this article.

Many people offer services for filling out an application form to participate in the Green Card lottery. Be careful, as many of them are scammers!

Requirements for participation in the lottery

Official instructions for the DV-2021 lottery
Instructions DV-2021 in Russian

Almost anyone can take part in the drawing. Main requirements:

The country where the applicant lives must be on the list of countries allowed to participate in the Green Card DV-2022 lottery. If it is excluded, there are two possibilities to apply for participation:
If both parents were born in another state, and at the time of the applicant’s birth were citizens of another country (Eligible), you can indicate it as your country of residence.
The participant in the drawing must have a document confirming the presence of secondary education or its equivalent. If there is no certificate, you must have work experience in a position that requires training lasting 2 years. Moreover, the experience must be acquired within the last 5 years. You should check the suitability of your experience using the electronic database at: https://www.onetonline.org.

Filling out the form without intermediaries

There are many websites offering their services. Many of them say that they can help in obtaining winnings, hinting that they have connections with this program. This is nothing more than a big money scam. Indeed, some companies resort to fraud.

This is what the page will look like on the lottery website if you win

For example, they fill out several dozen applications for one person, changing the spelling methods of his first and last name. And one application wins. But during an interview at the embassy, this deception is immediately revealed, and you are excluded from the list forever.

If you are a sufficiently literate person, then fill out the form yourself, without intermediary companies, especially those unknown to you. You need to think through everything in advance and write down all the data that you will enter so that you have it at hand.

Be sure to indicate in the form the details of your wife and all unmarried children under 21, as well as the children of your husband/wife, even if you do not live with them.

A necessary condition is good high-speed Internet without interruptions in communication. Otherwise, a double submission may occur and the application will be automatically deleted.

Two people - two chances

If you have a wife (officially registered marriage), then you can submit applications from two different persons, indicating each other in your application as wife or husband, respectively. This will double your chances of winning.

Where were you born

Another important detail - you can fill out the form if:

you were born in a country participating in the lottery;
your wife or husband was born in such a country;
you were born in a country that does not participate in the lottery, but your parents were born in a country that does participate.

How to prepare a photo for a Green Card

To successfully fill out the application form for the Green Card 2022, it is important to prepare a high-quality photograph that meets all the requirements. There are known cases where participants were disqualified due to an inappropriate photo.

Photos can be taken:

In the studio.
Usually they know the requirements, but just in case you should take the rules with you and provide them to the photographer;
At home.
If you wish, you can take a photo yourself. For this you will need:
Good lighting
Digital camera.
Scan a printed photograph.

It makes no difference whether the image was taken independently or in a photo studio. The main thing is that it meets the rules below.

Green Card photo requirements

You can take a new or scan a recent (taken within the last 6 months) digital photograph so that it meets all the requirements listed below.

The photographs uploaded along with the initial application must be of the same quality and composition as the US visa photographs. You can see examples of photos that meet the requirements here.

⛔️ Do not upload a photo that was taken more than 6 months ago, or a photo that does not meet all of the requirements below. ⛔️ Use of photographs that you have already used in previous entries, as well as photographs that have undergone any processing, or photographs that do not meet all of the requirements below will disqualify your entry.

Your photograph or digital image must meet the following requirements:

Color image;
In focus;
The height of the head in the image should be 22-35 mm (1-1-3/8 inches), or 50%-69% of the total height of the photo. The photo should show your entire head, from the top of your head to the bottom of your chin;
The photo was taken within the last 6 months and corresponds to how you currently look;
The background of the photo should be white or close to white;
When taking pictures, look straight into the camera;
Facial expression should be neutral, eyes open;
Clothes that appear in the frame should be casual;
⛔️ Photos of applicants in uniform will not be accepted. The exception is clothing worn every day for religious reasons;
⛔️ Photos of applicants wearing a headdress that hides their hair or hairline will not be accepted. The exception is hats, which are worn every day for religious reasons. The face must be completely visible, the headdress must not obscure the face;
⛔️ Photos in which the applicant is depicted with headphones, wireless headsets and similar devices will not be accepted;
⛔️ Do not take pictures with GLASSES;
If you regularly wear hearing aids or similar devices, you can take photos with them.

Check out photo examples on the Photo Examples page.

⛔️ Photos copied or scanned from driver's licenses or other official documents will not be accepted.

⛔️ Also not accepted are household photographs, photographs from magazines, low-quality photographs taken in vending machines or on a mobile phone, as well as photographs taken in full body.

Technical requirements for digital photo:

The image must be in JPEG (.jpg) format
Maximum allowed image size 240kB (kilobytes)
Pixels must be square (image width must be equal to height)
Acceptable resolution 600 x 600 pixels

Technical requirements for the scanned photo:

If you want to scan a paper photo, in addition to the requirements for digital photos, the paper photo must meet the following requirements:

2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm)
Resolution 300 dpi (12 pixels per millimeter)

How to crop a photo yourself

You can use the free photo editor on the State Department website:

Select a digital image saved on your computer
Resize and position the photo if necessary
Cut the photo to the required size 600 x 600 pixels

For those who have skills in working in a photo editor, for example, Adobe Photoshop, we have posted photo templates for preparing photos on their own.

Examples of photographs of adults

HOW TO:

WHAT NOT TO:

Child's photo on Green Card

When photographing babies and young children, make sure that only the child is in the frame. The child must look directly at the camera. The child's eyes should be open.

Tip #1: Place your baby on his back on a white or off-white cloth. This will provide support for the baby's head and the necessary background for the photo. Make sure there is no shadow on the baby's face, especially when holding the camera over a lying baby.

Tip #2: Cover the car seat with a white or off-white fabric and take a photo of your child in the seat. This will also provide support for the baby's head.

Examples of photographs of children

HOW TO:

There is no one else in the photo except the child. He looks at the camera with his eyes open

The child looks forward with the correct lighting and facial expression

Clear photo, child looking forward and at the camera

There is no one else in the photo except the child. He looks at the camera with his eyes open

WHAT NOT TO:

The photo is dark, the hair casts shadows on the face	The child does not look at the camera	Inappropriate facial expression	Hands hide part of the face
Blurred photo	Pacifier in mouth	Wrong background and extra person in the frame

How to check a photo

Before submitting the form, check the photo using the photo validator https://greencardphotocheck.com/ru/

Official requirements for photography (in English)

Green Card documents: methods of obtaining

The package of papers that must be submitted for a Green Card varies depending on the situation and the individual. If a migrant marries an American, the submitted package of documents will look like this:

Marriage certificate, a copy of which must be sent to the immigration office. Getting married is the most common and fastest way to get a card, so many people create fictitious marriages. If migration services find out about this, the foreigner can be expelled from the country, imposed a large fine, put in prison, and the American can be punished with large administrative sanctions.
Sample translated marriage certificate
The spouse must submit a corresponding request to the migration authorities so that the other half will be issued a Green Card.
It is possible that the migrant has already undergone the naturalization process in the States, then it is necessary to submit the appropriate papers.
Go through a joint interview with the immigration service to prove the reality of the marriage and its selflessness. Living together can be confirmed not only with words; it is important to provide other, more compelling arguments and evidence: shared photographs;
bank accounts;
receipts for payment of utility bills;
birth certificates of children if they were born in marriage;
documents for real estate, car, joint business.
insurance.

The people who conduct the test or interview are psychologists or social workers, so they can easily figure out whether the marriage is fake or not.

First, they give you a conditional Green Card, and then, after passing a second interview, you can get a permanent one. To do this, you need to submit a new package of papers again 1 year and 9 months after marriage. Sometimes they forget to invite you to an interview, given the large number of applicants. Then the documents should be sent to the immigration authorities. A green card is issued not only for a foreigner, but also for the couple’s child, if he was born outside the States.

A green card is obtained on the basis of an American work visa, for which you need to collect documents such as:

A petition from the company where the person works.
Papers that confirm the employee’s status in the company.
Education documents.
Salary certificates, etc.

Many migrants seek asylum in the United States because they believe they are at risk of political persecution or physical destruction. The package of papers will consist of a foreign passport, which will confirm that the person entered the States legally, evidence that his life is really under threat.

This method of obtaining permission to stay in the United States takes a long time and is very expensive. It is necessary to hire a lawyer who will carefully check all the facts.

If the person applying for a Green Card is included in the family reunification category, then the package of papers will be different for direct relatives (spouses, children of permanent residents, sisters or brothers who are US citizens).

Documents are issued based on confirmation of family ties, and direct relatives receive a Green Card faster than a brother or sister.

In general, the general list of documents is as follows (adjusted depending on the individual situation):

birth certificate and passport with a valid visa;
copy of Form I-94;
Sample Form I-94
for children, there is no need to fill out a separate petition on Form I-130 if they received a visa through their mother or father (K2 visa), and if they received a K4 visa, this form must be filled out;
Receipt of payment;
notice whether the applicant has a lawyer;
application from the applicant for a green card;
two identical photographs;
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Sample photo for green card
permission to carry out labor activities;
travel application if it is necessary to travel outside the United States;
biography;
medical examination results;
financial support.

A complete list of papers for each situation can be found on the special website uscis.gov, which also contains detailed instructions on how to fill out forms and papers, and what you need to pay attention to.

How to fill out the Green Card application

The form must be filled out in English letters. For transliteration use the table:

We go to the lottery website https://dvprogram.state.gov/ and press the green “BEGIN ENTRY” button. On the next page, enter the code from the picture and get to the questionnaire page.

The application form for participation in the Green Card Lottery 2022 indicates biographical information:

1. Name (name) The data is indicated according to the international passport .

Last/Family name

- only the applicant’s last name is indicated here

First Name

— participant name

Middle Name

— this column indicates the second (middle) name (if any). Sometimes participants enter their middle name here - this is not a mistake.

However, now the rules have changed a little, so be guided by the following: the spelling of the middle name must match the spelling in the international passport on the first page, if you have one at the time of filling out the application.

– If your middle name is written in the Latin alphabet, then write it. – If a foreign country does not have a middle name in Latin, but does have one in Cyrillic, then DO NOT write it. – If there is no middle name abroad at all, then DO NOT write it.

If the item is not filled in, you need to check the box next to “No middle name”.

2. Gender (gender of the participant) Male - man, Female - woman.

3.
Birth Date Be careful - first indicate the month, then the day and year.
4. City Where You Were Born Place of birth (modern name of the locality) in which the applicant was born, indicated on the birth certificate. For example, if you were born in Leningrad, then write Saint Petersburg. It is recommended to write the old and new names separated by a dash, for example, Leningrad – Saint Petersburg. You only need to write the name of the city or town (village). The name of the region, district, etc. does not need to be written.

5. Country Where You Were Born Choose your country of birth.

6. Country of Eligibility for the DV Program The country from which the applicant is participating is indicated:

in case of participation from the country of birth, you just need to select “Yes”;
if participation comes from the country of birth of the spouse (parents), check the box next to “No” and select the required country from the list.

7. Passport NEW REQUIREMENT FOR DV PROGRAM 2022. Indicate the first name, last name, patronymic (if available in the passport), foreign passport number, expiration date of the current unexpired foreign passport of the main applicant, country of issue.

If the item is not filled in, you need to check the box next to “No middle name”.

This requirement applies only to the main applicant and does not apply to family members of the main applicant. You must enter information about your valid foreign passport only if:

You are not stateless
You are not a citizen of a communist country, unable to obtain a passport from the government of a communist country,
You are a person who has received an individual waiver (waiver) approved by the US Secretary of Homeland Security and the US Secretary of State.

8.
Entrant Photograph Here you need to upload a photo prepared according to all the requirements.

9.
Mailing Address (Applicant's postal address) You can indicate any address where it can be found (in Latin). This could be your address, your relatives, friends, acquaintances, or the address of your PO box.

a. In Care Of (optional) - last name, first name of the recipient

b. Address Line 1 - street, house, apartment number

c. Address Line 2 (optional) - if the information from clause 8b. does not fit, then you can add it here. If everything is included, it is left empty.

d. City/Town - name of the locality

e. District/County/Province/State - district, district, region, province

f. Postal Code/Zip Code - index

g. Country - country

10.
Country Where You Live Today The state in which the applicant currently resides.
11.
Phone Number Here write your phone number in international format.
This field is optional, but recommended. An example of writing a mobile phone number in Moscow, if dialed from the USA: 011-7-905-XXX-XX-XX 12.
E-mail Address Enter the email address that belongs to the applicant. In the second field, email again to confirm

13. What is the highest level of education you have achieved, as of today? (Education)

You need to choose the option that corresponds to the highest level of education that the participant has today:

Primary school only - only primary school
High school,no degree - high school without a certificate
High school degree - secondary school with a certificate
Vocational school - secondary specialized, vocational school
Some university courses - incomplete higher education, incomplete higher education (technical school is also possible)
University degree – completed higher education
Some graduate level courses - unfinished master's degree, some courses at the master's level
Master's degree - completed master's degree
Some doctoral level courses – unfinished postgraduate/doctoral studies
Doctorate degree - Having a doctorate degree

14. What is your current marital status? (Family status)

Here you need to indicate your marital status:

Unmarried

– single, never married
Married
– married
Divorced
– if a divorce is filed and there are supporting documents
Widowed
– widower / widow
Legally Separated
– divorced, but there is no certificate yet at the time of submitting the form.

If the questionnaire indicated the presence of a spouse, another page will appear for filling out information about the spouse:

14.

Last name and first name of the spouse

wife/husband's last name
her/his name
middle name (if any).

14d.

- date when spouse was born

14e.

- floor

14f.

- name of the locality where the spouse was born

14g.

— country of birth of the spouse

14h.

— prepared photo

If the spouses do not have children, then this will be the end of filling out the questionnaire. If there are children, a page will appear for filling out their data (the same form is filled out as for a wife).

15. Number of Children

If there are no children:

If the applicant is single and has no children, leave this field blank.
This completes the filling out of the form. Click the Continue
, all the data you specified will appear.
They need to be checked carefully. If there are no errors, you need to click Submit
.

If you have children:

You must list all of your unmarried children under the age of 21, regardless of where they live or whether they intend to immigrate to the United States. The only exceptions are children who are US citizens or permanent residents. Write down the number of children.

If your spouse has children (under 21 years of age) from a previous marriage, you must also indicate them in your application. But your spouse's adopted children do not need to be listed. They are indicated only by the applicant himself in his application form.

If you indicated a spouse or children, the second part (Part 2) of the application will open. In the second part you enter data for them. Each person will need their own photo. The filling principle is the same as for the main applicant.

We advise each spouse to fill out the form. This way you will increase your chances of winning.

After filling out the form, click the “Submit” button.

The “Part One - Entrant Information” page will open with the entered data.

Review all data and check for errors. If you find an error, return to the previous pages by clicking on the “Go Back to Part 1”

and fix them.
If everything is ok, then click the “Submit” button.
If the application is successfully submitted, the “DV Submission Confirmation: Entry Received” with the inscription “Success!”

There you will see the Confirmation Number , which you need to SAVE .

Instructions for filling out the application form to participate in the Green Card drawing in 2021

You can figure out how to fill out the form yourself - you don’t have to contact immigration agents and you don’t have to worry about your lack of knowledge of English. An automatic translation option into Russian is available on the site.

To avoid errors, use the following instructions:

Before you start filling out the application, please take a digital photo of yourself as it will need to be uploaded online. When contacting a photo salon, ask for a photograph measuring 5*5 cm or 600*600 pixels. You can also take a photo yourself according to the “Photo Requirements” subsection.
Next, go to the official website https://dvprogram.state.gov/, three active buttons will be shown there: the first DV-2022 Instructions is an instruction, it describes in detail the nuances that should be taken into account when filling out; second Photo Examples – examples and requirements for photos are given; third Begin Entry – button for filling out the form.
After clicking on the “Begin Entry” button, the captcha will be activated; enter it in the provided field using the “Submit” option.
The system will take you to a page where you need to fill in all the fields. The questions are personal in nature, so the answers must be entered correctly without a single mistake in English. It is worth knowing that only one person from a family applies - if they win, all family members can move. For confirmation, the US Embassy will request a marriage certificate and birth certificates of children.
So, in the first part you need to enter in the requested fields: →№1 personal information is Last Name, First Name and Patronymic in English, you can use your passport data, from where you need to write off your full name in Latin; if there is no middle name, then put a checkmark next to “No Middle Name” at the bottom; →№2 gender characteristics - check the box if the applicant is a man - Male, if a woman - Female; →№3 date of birth - be careful at the beginning there is a month, day, year of birth; →№4 place of birth – here you need to enter the city in which the applicant was born, but you do not need to indicate the country and region. →№5 country of birth is now the country where you were born. →№6 whether the country is a participant - this means the question “Does the country of birth meet the requirements of the program?”, there is a special list of states whose residents are allowed to participate in the drawing; if “Yes”, then Yes, if the answer is negative “No”. If denied, the system will ask you to select a country from the “Select a country” list.
In the second part, the participant enters passport data in the following order: →№7 passport information A): indicate in the form the Last Name and First Name as on a foreign passport, then Passport Number - passport number, Passport Expiration Date - the date until which the passport is valid, Country/Authority of Issuance - country of issue of the passport; →№7 exempt from passport B): participants who have an international passport should ignore this paragraph, it applies to citizens who cannot obtain an international passport for some reason in accordance with the law.
In step 8 you will need a digital photo - to do this, click on Choose New Photo and upload it from your computer or other device. If the photo meets all the requirements, the system will reflect it on the page. If deficiencies are identified, the system will reject and display the error in red font.
Next you will need to enter address information in section No. 9 Mailing Address from subparagraph ag: → in point "a" – this is an additional column for those who show guardianship, here you should enter your full name or company name;
→ in point "b" show the address of residence - enter the street name, house and apartment number; → in point "With" – additional line if the address does not fit into the previous column; → in point "d" – the city where the participant lives; → in point "e" – additional information about the place of residence, that is, region, district, region, etc.; → in point "f" – home index, if it is not there, check the box below; → in point "g" - Country of Residence.
In the 10th, 11th, 12th sections of the Green Card application form, fill out personal information: → in 10-th section – select from the list the country in which they permanently reside; → in 11-th section – mobile or landline number; → in 12-th section – enter a valid email address in column “a”, repeat it in column “b”.
In section 13, you must select the highest degree of study you have achieved to date. If you have just graduated from secondary education, then put a tick next to school education with a degree; if you have completed a university, master's or doctoral degree, then put a tick next to one of these points.
In the final sections, information about marital status is filled out: → section No. 14 asks what marital status the applicant is currently in. From the proposed answers, you should choose - not married or not married; married, but the spouse is not a US citizen; if the spouse is a US citizen; divorced; widow or widower; married, but living separately (if there is confirmation); → in section No. 15 number of children – indicate the number of children.
If all fields of the Green Card application form are filled in, click the “Continue” button. If you refuse to go to another page, you should review all the columns; the system will indicate comments in red font.
An applicant with the status of single or unmarried, without children, will go to another page where the entire Green Card application form is shown, you need to review it again and click on submit. If the situation is the other way around, then you should go through the second stage, in which all the information is filled out in the same way and a photo is uploaded for each family member.
After sending, the DV-2022 Submission Confirmation letter with the word Success will appear on the screen - this means that the Green Card application was sent successfully. It is important to save this letter on your computer; you can send it to yourself by email or take a screenshot. Also, anyone who wants can print the letter.

Photo requirements

You can take a photo on your Green Card with a professional camera - if you or someone you know has one, then it is not necessary to visit a photo salon. Photo requirements are standard for American services - they should not be neglected, otherwise they may be disqualified from the program. First of all, applicants must tidy up their appearance - hairstyle, wear neat clothes, preferably in soothing colors, but so as not to blend into the main background. There is no room for creativity in this matter, so jewelry is removed before shooting, and bright makeup is not allowed. Anyone who has already taken a photograph for a tourist visa to the USA knows that the photo size is 600 by 600 pixels; in practice, the size is called 5 by 5 centimeters.

It is worth considering that an image taken last year or later than 6 months must be replaced. Photos that are older than that are incorrect, so they need to be prepared again - before filling out the online application or within six months. Thus, the foreign citizen must show himself in his current state.

For self-shooting, you need to choose the main background - a light one without drawings or ornaments is allowed. You need to check that there are no glare, shadows, or highlights. In the photo, the participant should look straight into the camera without tilting his head, the facial expression is better when it is natural without tension. You can’t smile; you can slightly raise the corners of your mouth if necessary. In general, the full-face scheme is passport photography.

Before taking a photo, it is better to once again read the detailed instructions on the official portal. A sample is immediately offered and you can edit the picture according to the specified proportions. To do this, the site has installed fig_cropper, that is, a cropper where a new photo is uploaded and adjusted to the required size of the Green Card -2022 lottery. After clicking the “crop” button, they download a 600*600 pixel file with a volume of 240 Kb, jpeg format. It is in this version that you need to load it into the application form. The official website for registering for a Green Card and sending a photo will be available from October 2 to November 5, 2021.

Another way to check a snapshot for parameters is to use a validator on independent Internet portals. They have programs installed to check the photo on the Green Card, where you can make adjustments.

Let's list the basic requirements in a separate list:

digital photograph, must be completed within six months;
600*600 pixels (in a photo salon they most often say 5*5 cm);
approximate volume 240 Kb, jpeg format;
characteristics of the photo – full face, straight head without bending or turning;
recommendations on external features - a natural image without bright elements;
retouching is not allowed;
background in pastel colors - clothes should not blend in with it;
Loose hair should be combed behind the ears.

It is more difficult to take children's photographs for the application form, but it is worth knowing that the US Department is more loyal to them.

How to find out the result of the draw

You will be able to find out your winnings in the 2022 Green Card lottery in May. To do this, you need to use your individual number to go to the website https://dvprogram.state.gov/. There, in the verification form, you indicate your personal number (Confirmation Number), last name and year of birth. Then click Submit. If you forget or lose your Confirmation Number, it can be restored on the same site.

Read more: How to check your Green Card lottery winnings

In case of winning, the winner is assigned a case number. He and his family need to go through the visa procedure within a certain period of time. It is used to enter the United States to obtain a Green Card and resolve all other concerns related to living in the United States. Lose it by committing a crime, or leaving the country for a long time.

Read more: What happens after you win

VIDEO: Won a green card - what to do?

Step-by-step instruction

The form must be filled out in Latin. In total you will have to answer 14 questions. It is important to be extremely careful, since any discrepancies at the end of the interview may give reason to suspect the applicant of deception and refuse a visa.

Personal Information

It is important to correctly answer each of the 14 questions:

Name. You will need to fill out three fields:

Last/Family Name
First Name
Middle Name

The first and second columns are the last name and first name, respectively. They must be filled out in Latin letters exactly as they are indicated in the passport.

Participant's photo

Attached are recent (taken within the last 6 months) photographs of the applicant, spouse and all children listed on the application. Either a new digital photograph or a scanned digital copy of an existing one is accepted.

The quality of the photo can be checked on the E-DV website by clicking on the “Photo Validator” link. Do not submit an old photo: Submitting the same photo as the previous year will disqualify your application.

You must provide color photographs with 24-bit color image depth. If you are using a scanner, you must set the color encoding to 24-bit. Detailed requirements for scanning photos are given below.

Compositional requirements Head position:

The person being photographed must look directly into the camera;
The head of the person being photographed should not be tilted to the side, raised up or down; The head of the person being photographed should occupy approximately 50 to 69 percent of the image in height. The eyes should be between 56 and 69 percent of the full height of the image (This is the distance between the bottom edge of the image and the eye line).
Sample digital image and head measurements Check out sample photos on the Photo Requirements page
For photography, you must use a neutral, light background.
The person being photographed must have his face in focus.
The person being photographed must be shown WITHOUT glasses or other objects on his face.
Photographs showing applicants wearing a head covering will only be accepted if wearing the head covering is for religious reasons, but even then the head covering must not cover any part of the applicant's face.

Technical requirements:

The image must be in Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) format.
The maximum acceptable image size is two hundred and forty kilobytes (240 kilobytes)
The minimum acceptable resolution is from 600 pixels (width) by 600 pixels (height) to 1200 pixels (width) by 1200 pixels (height). Pixels must be square. This means that the width of the image must be equal to the height.
Color depth: 24-bit color. Black and white images are not accepted.
If you scan, the resolution should be at least 300 dpi.
The image must be in Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) format.

More information about the criteria can be found here.