Immigration papers on your iPhone
What to do
- Check what the agency says to carry. The US and Canada are below. Carry those papers themselves.
- Keep your other original papers in a safe place.
- Keep copies of what you send to the agency, and of what the agency sends you.
- Keep your copies in a separate place from the originals.
- In the US, check before you copy a Green Card or a citizenship or naturalization certificate. The reason is below.
- For your own case, ask a lawyer or a legal aid office. This page gives no advice on anyone’s case.
United States: what USCIS says
What to carry. USCIS says that if you’re 18 or older, you must always carry your Employment Authorization Document, Green Card or other proof of registration with you. The USCIS pages we read don’t say a photo can take the place of these papers.
What to keep. USCIS says to ask for receipts, copies of notices and letters from USCIS, and copies of forms prepared for you. USCIS says to keep these papers in a safe place.
What to send. USCIS says not to send original documents unless the form’s instructions or the rules ask for them. USCIS says it may destroy originals it didn’t ask for.
Some papers have a rule about copies. USCIS says the law prohibits copying naturalization certificates, certificates of citizenship and Green Cards for some purposes. USCIS says that rule doesn’t stop a photocopy you send to USCIS with an application. USCIS has archived that page and marks the page as out of date. We found no newer USCIS page on this rule. The page doesn’t list the purposes, and it doesn’t say whether a photo you keep for yourself is allowed. So ask USCIS or a lawyer before you keep a copy of one of these papers on your iPhone.
If a paper is lost or stolen. USCIS says you generally file a new form and pay a fee. USCIS lists the form for each paper.
Who can help. USCIS says you don’t need a representative to file forms. If you want one, USCIS says who can represent you and how to find them. USCIS says notary publics in the US aren’t attorneys and can’t represent you.
Canada: what IRCC says
What to carry. IRCC says you should have 2 pieces of ID with you at all times, and at least 1 with a photo. A photocopy of your permanent resident papers can be one of them. IRCC says you don’t need to carry your Confirmation of Permanent Residence form or your PR card around with you in Canada.
When you travel. IRCC says you’ll need proof of your status to return to Canada, and your PR card is the official proof. IRCC says to bring your PR card when you visit another country.
What to keep. IRCC says the original of your permanent resident papers should stay in a safe place or a safety deposit box. IRCC also says you shouldn’t carry your birth certificate, Social Insurance Number or passport unless you need them for a specific purpose.
If you’re moving to Canada. IRCC says to make photocopies of papers such as marriage certificates, birth certificates and school records, in case the originals get lost. IRCC says to keep the photocopies in a separate place from the originals. Read IRCC’s page on preparing your documents.
If a paper is lost or stolen. IRCC says to call the police to report lost or stolen ID. IRCC also says to contact the organization that issued the ID and ask for a replacement. Read IRCC’s page on carrying ID.
Who can help. Each province and territory has its own legal aid plan. Justice Canada lists the plans.
Keep copies in your vault
Underlock is coming soon to the App Store. Here’s how it will work.
Underlock is a private vault app on your iPhone. Your vault opens with a pattern you draw, not your iPhone passcode. Your vault is only somewhere to keep copies. A copy doesn’t replace your papers.
- Open Underlock.
- Draw your pattern to open your vault.
- Tap the Add button (a plus sign), then Import from Photos for a photo, or Import from Files for a scan or a PDF.
- Choose what you want in your vault.
- Keep Underlock open until the import finishes.
- When Underlock asks Remove the originals from Photos?, tap Keep. For a file, Underlock asks Remove the original from Files?. Tap Keep there too.
Importing puts a copy in your vault. Leave the photo or file where it is until a lawyer or the agency says you can remove it. We can’t say a copy in your vault will be accepted anywhere.
To group your papers, tap Folders, then New folder. Then type a name, like Papers, and tap Create.
Need to send someone a copy? Open the paper, then tap Share. Underlock asks first, because a shared file leaves your vault and is no longer encrypted. A shared photo leaves without its location by default. To keep the location, turn off Remove location.
If someone else checks your phone, read When someone checks or controls your phone.
What Underlock does
- Your passcode doesn’t open your vault. Your vault opens with your own pattern, not your iPhone passcode or Face ID.
- Encrypted on your iPhone. Everything you add is encrypted on your iPhone before it’s saved. Folder and file names are encrypted too.
- Nothing on our servers. We never receive your files, your pattern or your keys, so we can’t open your vault for anyone or hand your files over.
- Underlock doesn’t change the law. An official or a court can still ask for what you keep. Read At a border, or when an official asks to see your phone.