Get your USCIS evidence under the upload limit

Drop a scan or PDF and FitSize shrinks it under the USCIS per-file limit in your browser. Your documents are never uploaded to us.

Compress to

Current limit
12 MB
FitSize aims for
12 MB
Last checked
30 September 2026
Read on
uscis.gov

USCIS online filing takes evidence one file at a time and refuses files that are too big, in the wrong format, or protected with a password. Phone photos of documents and multi-page scans are the usual culprits. Here is what the USCIS page requires, and how to get files inside it without making them unreadable.

Why USCIS has this limit

USCIS does not say why. Its Tips for Filing Forms Online page, last reviewed on 23 March 2026, states the rule: each file must be 12 MB or smaller, in PDF, JPG or JPEG format, and for some forms TIF or TIFF.

Source: uscis.gov

What FitSize does with your file

FitSize keeps text readable first, because USCIS says each image you attach must be clear with all text readable. It targets a size safely under the per-file limit and never password-protects or encrypts the output, which USCIS does not allow. If a file is much larger than the limit, splitting a long scan into several files is better than crushing one.

Your file never leaves your device. It is read and compressed by your browser, and nothing is uploaded to a server.

Three things to watch on USCIS

  1. Clear and readable beats small. USCIS asks that each image you attach is clear and that all text is readable, so a file that is under the size limit but blurry does not meet the instruction, even though the upload goes through. Source: uscis.gov
  2. No password protection or encryption. Files cannot be encrypted or password protected. Remove a PDF's password before you compress it, because a protected file does not meet the requirement. Source: uscis.gov
  3. Formats and translations. Files must be PDF, JPG or JPEG, and some forms also accept TIF or TIFF. For a document that is not in English you upload a certified English translation as well as the original, so budget for two files. Source: uscis.gov