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PR Card Photos rejected

moose17

Hero Member
Jun 30, 2017
277
227
Hi all
I received an email that my photos are rejected, however I did not receive any email for my one year old daughter, but in any case am sending hers as well, but now the issue is if the photo of my one year old has her teeth showing ,does that mean open mouth and will be rejected again? Should I go and get the photos redone?
We didn't get a specific letter about our daughter but it did turn out that her photo was rejected too. In our case all of our photos had been taken at Walgreens and were terrible from trying to stick to brightness and contrast adjustments to change the background since at least then Canada didn't allow most digital alterations to it and that's what Walgreens relied on. We fully expected them to be rejected for PR cards but were moving soon enough that we got what we could and figured we'd retake them in Canada. I don't even remember if we got a hold of CIC before retaking all of them or if we just assumed hers was rejected too. If you can call I'd do that first and go from there.
 

Alekhine

Newbie
Feb 17, 2019
2
0
My photos have been rejected twice and I am currently not in the country. Can someone advice on the next step to take. Also is there anything wrong with soft landing and leaving the country before your PR card is available?
 

hell911

Champion Member
Apr 10, 2012
1,350
32
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
They asked for new photos and letter. Shoud i print the Photos Specifications page or just the letter stating the uci number, etc?
 

ziszee

Full Member
Oct 18, 2018
48
1
Hi my ppr photo got rejected and they are requesting for new pair of photos. But the studio that I took the photos they said they are familiar with the specification. And I have moved to another city. Is that a problem if I take another set of photos from different studio? And I am not sure why my previous photos were denied. How can I correct the photo specs this Time?
 

steaky

VIP Member
Nov 11, 2008
14,681
1,724
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
Hi my ppr photo got rejected and they are requesting for new pair of photos. But the studio that I took the photos they said they are familiar with the specification. And I have moved to another city. Is that a problem if I take another set of photos from different studio? And I am not sure why my previous photos were denied. How can I correct the photo specs this Time?
Yes, you can get another set from a different studio.
 

madscientist11

Star Member
Feb 15, 2019
109
57
Hi my ppr photo got rejected and they are requesting for new pair of photos. But the studio that I took the photos they said they are familiar with the specification. And I have moved to another city. Is that a problem if I take another set of photos from different studio? And I am not sure why my previous photos were denied. How can I correct the photo specs this Time?
You can take it at another studio. Few people have speculated that photo can be rejected due to shiny/ oily face. Make sure to wipe your face well or even apply light make up. Otherwise most common issue are not white enough back ground (greyish color) and have shadow behind the ears from the flash. Lastly always use a ruler to make double check the dimension of your face
 

ziszee

Full Member
Oct 18, 2018
48
1
You can take it at another studio. Few people have speculated that photo can be rejected due to shiny/ oily face. Make sure to wipe your face well or even apply light make up. Otherwise most common issue are not white enough back ground (greyish color) and have shadow behind the ears from the flash. Lastly always use a ruler to make double check the dimension of your face
Thank you for the response. Can I send multiple copies from different studios? Just in case ?
 

vishalsag

Newbie
Feb 21, 2019
5
0
Good news is that I just called the contact number via google hangout and managed to get hold of support. Looks like they accepted both my wife's and my photos and have sent over the PR cards.

However both my kids photos were rejected. So we are driving down to Windsor in a week and getting the photos done at a Walmart there on the Canada side. This is the 3rd time we are sending the photos. Hopefully this time it goes through.

Steps to contact the customer service number from US: (directly calling them via phone does NOT go through)
1. Install Google hangouts on your phone
2. Call 613-944-4000
3. Press 1 to get to immigration support

Have your application and UCI number ready.
Did you take the photos second time at Wallgreens again ? Did you do all measurements yourself and made sure that all the requirements for photo are meeting ? I also got my photos at Wallgeens and I am sure these were 50 by 70 and white background , not sure about the size of the face as I didnt measure that ..any idea what was the reason for the rejection first time . Also did the Wallgreens photos worked second time ?
 

NFury

Member
Nov 14, 2018
12
1
my photos were also rejected, these were taken back in India. i got them taken again for my whole family at Costco (around $7 for 2 photos per person - got them stamped at the back as per the requirement). he knew and got it right the first time. got my PR cards in a couple of weeks time.

rest of the places were expensive, e.g. Walmart photo studio was charging $66 for 2 photos each for 3 family members, whereas I got all done in $21 ($7 per person) from Costco.
 
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subodhp

Hero Member
Jun 19, 2019
944
184
Toronto
I want to relate my own experience and hopefully that will allay concerns of many folks asking similar questions here. My photos got rejected a grand total of 3 times (right !) and I am quite confident that each one of them was well within the photo specification.

Attempt 1 : VAC (India)
Attempt 2 : GKVale (India)
Attempt 3 : Staples (Canada)
Attempt 4 : Staples (Canada)

In all but last rejection, I got a generic reply and this is because (as I learned from CIC call center) all the photos submitted for PR are scanned in an automated system and if the system deems photo to be unfit, it will trigger a generic reply with photo specifications mail. As a result, there is no clue on what the reason for rejection is and there is no human intervention possible.

Here is what I learned in this process:
1. Dont sweat, dont panic: The system is buggy but atleast it is not held against you as you get to re-send your photo in 30 days timeframe. Most domestic/international mails reach well within that. Just use the cheapest possible option to send in your photos along with photo specification letter. At the same time when applying for PR, remember to accomodate this uncertainty in your plans. Be prepared to apply for PRTD if your travel window is too close.
2. System is not perfect : All of my photos were taken in professional setting and photos of family members from same studio got approved while mine got rejected. I daresay that some of the photos that got approved in first try actually did not conform to standard as much as all of my photos did. As a result, dont fret over what you are doing wrong, just trust the studio on what to do/not.
3. Look for guarantees : go with studios/stores that provide free guarantee. If you are in Canada, Staples provides this guarantee (they retake photo if you show them rejection letter and receipt of old photo) and infact I had to make use of it in my fourth attempt. The good thing in this is atleast you are not wasting your money on prints each time.
4. Get a head start using emails from CIC : an email is triggered 3-5 days before snail mail reaches the address you provided in your PR application. Look out for emails to get a head start. From my calculation, CIC sends out an approval/rejection mail within 1-2 business days after they receive your photos.
5. Remember to fill up back of your photo : remember to provide on back of your photo, stamp/details of studio/applicant. Details will be in letter from CIC.
 

subodhp

Hero Member
Jun 19, 2019
944
184
Toronto
Hi my ppr photo got rejected and they are requesting for new pair of photos. But the studio that I took the photos they said they are familiar with the specification. And I have moved to another city. Is that a problem if I take another set of photos from different studio? And I am not sure why my previous photos were denied. How can I correct the photo specs this Time?
Just go with a studio which knows what they are doing, preferably one that can give a guarantee
 
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bhangu9192

Star Member
Apr 2, 2019
73
26
Visa Office......
Mississauga
Doc's Request.
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my photos were also rejected, these were taken back in India. i got them taken again for my whole family at Costco (around $7 for 2 photos per person - got them stamped at the back as per the requirement). he knew and got it right the first time. got my PR cards in a couple of weeks time.

rest of the places were expensive, e.g. Walmart photo studio was charging $66 for 2 photos each for 3 family members, whereas I got all done in $21 ($7 per person) from Costco.
Hey there,
where did you send the pictures?
here?
Case Processing Center - Permanent Resident Card
PO Box 4500
Sydney, Nova Scotia B1P 6L1
And did you write down the name and DOB at the back of each photos?
 

subodhp

Hero Member
Jun 19, 2019
944
184
Toronto
Hey there,
where did you send the pictures?
here?
Case Processing Center - Permanent Resident Card
PO Box 4500
Sydney, Nova Scotia B1P 6L1
And did you write down the name and DOB at the back of each photos?
Yes and yes. Note that date photo was taken also needs to be written down. Just follow the instructions on the letter you got and you should be good.