New I-9 Regulations

Starting January 22, 2017, the new I-9 form will be required. In November 2016, the United States Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) published this updated I-9 form. The form, which was created in 1986, verifies employee eligibility to work in the U.S. Use of the old form for new hires will be invalid after January 21. Employers who fail to use this revised form after January 21 could face fines and penalties.

The form is considered a smart form as it lives on the USCIS website and can be completed electronically. The user can also download and use the form electronically from the their computer. While the new form can be accessed on USCIS’s website, using the electronic version is not required. The new I-9 can be printed and completed manually. The smart-form also will ultimately need to be printed as employee and employer signatures are required.

Features include drop-down fields and electronic enhancements to make it easier to complete the form faster. The user will also be alerted if fields are left blank, ensuring all of the necessary information is gathered. Additionally, the smart form contains a new feature that ensures information provided by the employee is consistent with their citizenship/immigration status in Section 1. Once the box is checked by the employee that indicates their citizenship/immigration status, the fields that do not apply to the employee’s status will be filled in as “N/A.,” accordingly. Another such enhancement is the clarification of the “other names used” field to request only “other last names used.”

For complete information, please visit https://www.uscis.gov/i-9.