The U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services have issued a new I-9 Form that employers will be required to use effective September 18, 2017. The new form is used by HR and anyone in the position of hiring new employees, to verify employment eligibility. The current rules on storage and retention of I-9 Forms have not changed.
At first glance, you may not see a noticeable change in the form. However, the revisions relate to the List of Acceptable Documents and update List C’s required documents to reflect the most current version of the certification or report of birth issued by the U.S. State Department.
If you are an employer that has your new hires complete Form I-9 online, there is a newly added option for the Consular Report of Birth Abroad Form FS-240, which apply to certain employees who were born overseas to U.S. citizen parents. If using E-Verify, you’ll also be able to select this option.
Depending on your current new hire orientation or first day practices, the I-9 Form completion policy is still required at the time of hire. Employers may want to revisit their current business practices to ensure you are complying with the USCIS legal requirements.
The final modification on the Form I-9 is the change to the DOJ Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices name, which has been changed to the Immigrant and Employee Rights section.
Deadline Compliance:
You may continue to use the old form through September 17th, but begin using the NEW FORM immediately effective September 18, 2017 . You may recycle older versions but any new employees hired as of that date must use the new forms. Failure to comply by this deadline can result in significant fines if audited.
Current employee’s need not complete any new paperwork unless it is for Reverification or Rehire purposes under the State and Federal guidelines.
DOWNLOAD a copy of the new Form I-9 HERE.