Photo matching is activated automatically if an employee has presented with his or her Form I-9 a:
I-551, (Permanent Resident Card)
Form I-766, (Employment Authorization Document), or
U.S. passport or passport card
If no photo is available, the case will either automatically skip photo matching or “No Photo on this Document” may display in place of a photo.
The three cases mentioned above require a photo to already be on file with the federal goverment. Thus, the photo with the I-9 can be matched against the photo already on file with the feds.
So, yes, not every application can or will be photo matched, but it is a beginning. Green card holders, people with work visas, etc. can be checked as well as amcits with passports. If the applicant has phony or counterfeit documents, it will be discovered in those cases.
I agree, photo matching in E-verify could do a lot of good, and in the future it could be improved, with photos required for a SSN, voter registration card, etc., and inter-agency cooperation. The problem is the leadership in the white house and DHS. They seem to prefer lots of “undocumented” future leftist voters to remain and work here, and don’t want the states to “interfere.”