NEW RULE ON NONIMMIGRANT VISA PHOTOGRAPH REQUIREMENT ISSUED
The INS has announced a final rule amending the nonimmigrant visa regulations to require all applicants to present a photograph. The 1994 law requiring the replacement of the Burroughs visa with a machine-readable visa (MRV) requires this change. The MRV features a digitized picture of the visa holder as one of its high-security attributes. Because of this new rule, the former waiver of the photograph requirement is rescinded. The new rule also allows head coverings to be worn, so long as enough of the face is visible to establish identity. The photograph, to be submitted upon application, must be 1-½ inches by 1-½ inches, unmounted, and feature a full-face shot. 
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