Mar 20, 2013

New I-9 form released

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently published a revised Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9 for use. All employers are required to complete a Form I-9 for each employee hired in the United States.

Improvements to Form I-9 include new fields, reformatting to reduce errors and clearer instructions to both employees and employers. The Department of Homeland Security has published a notice in the Federal Register informing employers of the new form.

Effective March 8:

–Employers should begin using the newly revised Form I-9 for all new hires and re-verifications.

–Employers may continue to use previously accepted revisions until May 7.

–After May 7, employers must only use the new Form I-9.

The revision date of the Form I-9 is printed on the lower left corner of the form. Employers should not complete a new Form I-9 for current employees if a properly completed Form I-9 is already on file.

A Spanish version of Form I-9 is available on the USCIS website for use in Puerto Rico only. Spanish-speaking employers and employees in the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and other U.S. territories may use the Spanish version for reference, but must complete the English version of the form.

The revised forms are available in English and Spanish online. For more information, call 888-464-4218. USCIS maintains a website, I-9 Central, to support Form I-9 users. USCIS has also scheduled free webinars to help employers learn about the new form.