New Version of Form I-9 Issued by USCIS

On January 31, the United States Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a new version of the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, (I-9), which should be used immediately. This form is used by all employers to verify employment authorization of its employees, and must be completed within three (3) days of any new hire. 

The new form, with an edition date of 10/21/2019, clarifies that an employer may designate any person to complete Form I-9 on behalf of the company. This modification is made to accommodate the changing structure of some businesses, particularly ones that include the possibility of remote workers. Another change to the document includes updating the the list of acceptable documents for List C, adding the Consular Report of Birth Abroad (From FS-240).

There were minor edits to the format of the Form I-9, particularly on page three, to try to clarify that if documents from List B & C are presented, they should not be put in List A. 

Employers do not need to complete the new Form I-9 for current employees who already have their Form I-9 on file. The prior version of the form will become fully obsolete on April, 30 2020. Employers are subject to inspections of this form by the Department of Homeland Security.

This alert is for informational purposes only. Please contact us if you would like to discuss this development further.