New Form I-9 – Deadline January 22nd

All News, Compliance

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has released a newly revised Employment Verification Form in an effort to reduce errors and enhance form completion using a computer. Form I-9 is used for verifying employment authorization in the US, and is required by federal immigration law for each new employee hired. As part of the compliance guidelines, employers are required to ensure proper completion of Form I-9 and retain a copy. The newly revised form was released on November 14th with a grace period for implementation that ends January 22nd. To avoid the risk of an I-9 audit and penalties, use the information below to access the latest version.
https://www.uscis.gov/i-9
More About the New Form I-9
For compliance purposes, the employer and employee are required to complete a joint form, with the employer ensuring proper completion and retaining a copy. Fines for improper filing, however, have increased and can be significant (as high as $2,156 per form).
To help proper filing, the newly revised Form I-9 offers “smart” features to assist employers and employees in completing the form, particularly to address technical errors. Although the form can be conveniently completed through a fillable PDF on a computer, the form must still be signed in hard copy format to meet Department of Homeland Security regulations.
Some of the improvements of the new form include:

  • The addition of prompts to ensure information is entered correctly
  • The ability to enter multiple preparers and translators.
  • Automatic display of “N/A” in certain fields based on previous answers.
  • Designated space for employers to note additional information.
  • Drop-down lists, calendars, on-screen instructions to assist in completing field data.
  • QR barcode to facilitate review by auditors once the form is completed and printed.

It was November of 1986 when Congress passed the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) to prohibit employers from hiring people, including U.S. citizens, without first verifying their identity and authorization to work using Form I-9.
Read the news release from the USCIS: https://www.uscis.gov/news/news-releases/uscis-revises-form-i-9-used-all-new-hires-us

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