New Form I-9 Released
July 17, 2017
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has released a revised version of Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. Employers may either use the current form or the new form through September 17, 2017. The new form will become mandatory on September 18, 2017.
The new form is expected to include the following changes:
Revisions to the Form I-9 instructions:
- The name of the “Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices” will be changed to its new name, “Immigrant and Employee Rights Section.”
- “The end of” will be removed from the phrase “the first day of employment.”
Revisions related to the List of Acceptable Documents on Form I-9:
- The Consular Report of Birth Abroad (Form FS-240) will be added to List C. Employers completing Form I-9 on a computer will be able to select Form FS-240 from the drop-down menus available in List C of Section 2 and Section 3. E-Verify users will also be able to select Form FS-240 when creating a case for an employee who has presented this document for Form I-9.
- All of the certifications of report of birth issued by the Department of State (Form FS-545, Form DS-1350 and Form FS-240) will be combined into selection Item 2 under List C.
- All List C documents, except the Social Security card, will be renumbered. For example, the employment authorization document issued by the Department of Homeland Security on List C will change from Item 8 under List C to Item 7 under List C.
All U.S. employers are required to complete a Form I-9 for every employee hired in order to verify that the individual is authorized for employment in the United States under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA). Beginning September 18, 2017, employers must use the new version of the Form for all new hires and for re-verifying current employees with expiring employment authorization documentation. Employers should not complete new Forms for existing employees who do not require re-verification. A best practice would be for employers to begin using the new edition of the form immediately upon its release.
You may obtain the new edition of the Form I-9 here
