How do I store immigration documents on my phone?

Your immigration life is a stack of paper. A passport with a visa stamp, an I-94, a green card or a work permit. Approval notices, receipts with case numbers, maybe a UK residence permit that is now an eVisa. Losing one can stop a job offer or a trip. So you took photos of all of them, and now they sit in your camera roll with everything else. This page covers what to keep and what a copy can and cannot do. It also shows how to keep the copies safe. It is not legal advice. We checked each fact against USCIS, GOV.UK and Apple on 2026-10-08.

What to keep copies of

USCIS lists the “secure identity documents” it issues. They include the I-94 arrival record, the work permit (Form I-766) and the Green Card (Form I-551). Citizenship certificates and travel documents are on the list too. USCIS notes they hold “your full legal name, date of birth, country of birth, sex, and A-Number”.

Keep a copy of each, front and back, plus:

• your passport photo page and every visa page
• each approval notice and receipt notice, with its case number
• letters from USCIS, a consulate or UK Visas and Immigration
• your lawyer’s contact details and any signed forms

A copy gives you the numbers and dates when a form asks for them. It also helps when an original goes missing.

What a copy can and cannot do (US)

A photo does not replace the card. USCIS says: “If you are a permanent resident age 18 or older, you are required to have a valid Green Card in your possession at all times.” Its page on documents says the same for an EAD, a Green Card “or other proof of alien registration”.

Some electronic records count. USCIS says people who must register can carry “a mobile electronic device that can display evidence of their registration”. That “generally includes Form I-94, I-94W, I-94A, and USCIS Proof of Alien G-325R Registration”. Or you can print a copy. So a downloaded I-94 on your phone can matter. Keep it where the phone shows it without a signal.

The rules are strict. USCIS warns that failing to register or carry evidence can lead to “criminal and civil penalties”. If you are unsure which document you must carry, ask a lawyer.

The UK has moved to eVisas

GOV.UK says “eVisas have replaced physical immigration documents.” An eVisa is “a digital record” of your identity, your status and its conditions. To prove your status, for example “when you get a new job or rent a home”, you view your eVisa and get a share code. You need a UK Visas and Immigration account, and GOV.UK says you do not pay to set one up.

Copies still help. Keep your passport details, the reference numbers on your letters, and the email address on your UKVI account. If you lose a UK passport, GOV.UK says a photo of it “can help you answer questions” when you cancel it.

If a document is lost or stolen

USCIS lets you request a replacement for a document that was “lost, stolen, mutilated, or destroyed”. It says that “Generally, you need to file a new application form”, and “you may need to pay a new filing fee”. A scan of the old card gives you its numbers and dates for the form. For a US passport, a Social Security card or a driver’s license, the agency that issued it handles the replacement.

Where the camera roll leaves copies open

• Anyone with the phone passcode can open Photos and scroll to your green card.
• Every device on your account gets the photo with iCloud Photos or Google Photos backup on.
• The cloud copy in iCloud Photos uses standard data protection, where Apple holds the keys. Advanced Data Protection changes that. See iCloud Photos encryption.

Your A-Number and passport number are the keys to your case. Keep them in a place with its own lock.

Watch for scams

USCIS warns that “Some people and businesses pretend to be immigration experts or say they have special connections to the government.” It adds that in the US, “notary publics are not attorneys and cannot represent you”. In the UK, GOV.UK says “All immigration advisers must be registered with IAA or be a member of an approved professional body.” The help box above links both checks.

Do not send scans of your documents to anyone you have not checked.

Keep the copies in York Vault

York Vault keeps documents behind its own code, on iPhone and Android. The backup in your own iCloud or Google Drive is encrypted. We cannot see the files or their names. See what we can and cannot see.

• Scan each document. The document and card scanner saves multi-page PDFs and keeps a card’s front and back together. Nothing goes to Photos.
• Find a number fast. Copy an A-Number or a receipt number. The copy stays on this phone and clears after 60 seconds.
• Expiry reminders. Set one for a work permit or a visa. The reminder text does not name the document.
• Show a card at a desk. The IDs and cards view opens a card full screen. For a card you must carry, carry the card itself.
• Downloaded records too. Add your I-94 or an approval notice as a PDF. York Vault stores any file type and opens PDFs offline. Put them in one album, with an album code if others use the phone.
• A copy that survives a lost phone. The encrypted backup restores everything on a new phone with your code or your 12-word recovery key. Keep the key on paper, with your passport.

To send scans to a lawyer, a private share link keeps them encrypted and ends after a set time or number of opens. For your other ID copies, read photos of your passport and ID on your phone.