The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a new Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification (Rev. 03/08/13) N on March 8, 2013 that employers should begin using immediately for all new hires and re-verifications.
However, since the USCIS recognizes the need additional time to allow for use of the revised form, employers may continue to use previously accepted revisions (Rev.02/02/09) N and (Rev. 08/07/09) Y for a 60-day period until May 7, 2013. After that date, all U.S. employers must use the revised Form I-9.
All employers are required to complete a Form I-9 for each employee hired in the United States to comply with their employment eligibility verification responsibilities. The revision date of the Form I-9 is printed on the lower left corner of the form. Employers should not complete a new version of the Form I-9 for current employees if a properly completed Form I-9 is already on file.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a Notice in the Federal Register informing employers of the new Form I-9 that is available. The newly revised Form I-9 has several new features and improvements designed to minimize errors in form completion. The key revisions to Form I–9 include:
- Adding data fields, including the employee’s foreign passport information (if applicable) and telephone and email addresses.
- Improving the form’s instructions to more clearly describe the information employees and employers must provide in each section.
- Revising the layout of the form, expanding the form from one to two pages (not including the form instructions and the List of Acceptable Documents).
To help inform employers of the revisions to the new Form I-9 (Rev. 03/08/13) N, the USCIS is offering free educational webinars that highlight the new features of the revised Form I-9, including the new fields and format, and also include a detailed overview of how to use the form.
The live webinars from the USCIS will give employers an overview of the revised Form I-9 process, including step by step instructions on how to complete each section, retention, and storage. Here is the current schedule of webinars for the remainder of March 2013:
- Wednesday, March 13, 2013 at 2:00 PM EST
- Thursday, March 14, 2013 at 11:00 AM EST
- Friday, March 15, 2013 at 1:00 PM EST
- Thursday, March 21, 2013 at 11:00 AM EST
- Friday, March 22, 2013 at 1:00 PM EST
- Monday, March 25, 2013 at 1:00 PM EST
- Thursday, March 28, 2013 at 11:00 AM EST
For more information or to attend a live webinar, visit www.dhs.gov/e-verify and select Take a FREE Webinar from the right sidebar.
The Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986 made it unlawful for an employer “to hire, or to recruit or refer for a fee, for employment in the United States an alien knowing the alien is an unauthorized alien.” Federal law requires every employer hiring an individual for employment in the U.S. to verify his or her identity and employment authorization through completion of a Form I-9.
The revised Form I-9 (Rev. 03/08/13)N is available at www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-9.pdf.
Comments