Keeping Immigration and Asylum Papers Private on iPhone
You keep photos of your passport, visa, USCIS receipt notices or asylum papers on your iPhone. You need them quickly at appointments, and they hold almost everything about you. Here is how to keep them private and still have them when it counts.
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What do I need to know?
- These papers are a full identity kit. Name, birth date, numbers, address and photo, all in one place.
- Copies spread out. They sit in Photos, Mail, Messages and Files.
- Losing them hurts too. Keep a backup that does not depend on this one phone.
This page covers privacy on your phone. It is not legal advice. For your case, talk to an immigration lawyer or an accredited representative.
Who could see them now?
- Anyone who picks up your unlocked phone or knows your passcode.
- People in a Shared Library or shared album, if a document photo landed there.
- Anyone you sent a copy to, and anyone they forwarded it to.
Check Settings → your name for devices you do not recognise. Apple's device list page shows how to remove one.
How do I keep them private?
- Gather them. Search Photos, Files and Mail for "USCIS", "I-797", "passport" or your A-number.
- Move them to one locked place. Tap Share on each and send it to a vault app.
- Check they open there, then delete the originals.
- Empty Recently Deleted in Photos, which otherwise keeps them for 30 days.
- Keep a backup elsewhere, such as paper copies with someone you trust.
How do I send a copy safely?
Send copies only to people who need them, such as your lawyer. Before sending a photo, remove where it was taken.
- Select the photo in Photos and tap Share.
- Tap Options, then turn off Location.
Apple describes this in its guide to location data in photos. The same page shows how to stop the Camera saving location at all.
Where can I find real legal help?
Be careful who you trust with these papers. Only a lawyer or an accredited representative can give immigration legal advice.
- The National Immigration Legal Services Directory lists nonprofits offering free or low-cost help.
- The Justice Department's immigration court office keeps a page to find legal representation, including free providers.
If you are travelling, read our page on crossing a border with your iPhone.
What this doesn't protect against
A vault keeps your copies private on your phone. It does not protect copies you already sent, or ones held by an agency or employer. It cannot help if someone with legal authority requires you to unlock it. If you lose your pattern and recovery phrase, the vault cannot be opened.
Do it with Cryptile
Cryptile encrypts document photos and PDFs with AES-256-GCM under a key from your pattern. There is no account and no server. Folders keep each case apart. Plus search reads text in photos and PDFs on the device, so a receipt number is easy to find.
Cryptile is free for up to 2 vaults, 100 photos and 10 videos. Plus removes the limits for $19.99 a year (7-day free trial) or $39.99 once. The price is the same every day.
Cryptile Send, Files access and shared vaults are coming and are not available yet. Search inside the vault is part of Plus.