The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has published a Special Edition of E-Verify Connection, an e-newsletter for employers and workers that contains information about important changes recently made to the new Employment Eligibility Verification, Form I-9 (Rev. 03/08/13 N). A PDF version of the E-Verify Connection e-newsletter is available online at http://www.uscis.gov/USCIS/Verification/E-Verify/E-Verify_Native_Documents/Newsletters/E-Verify-Connection.pdf.
Federal law requires employers hiring an individual for employment in the United States to complete a Form I-9 to help verify the employee’s identity and employment authorization. On March 8, 2913, the USCIS published a revised Form I-9 with revised instructions and a new design that was made available for immediate use by employers. According to the Special Edition of the E-Verify Connection e-newsletter, changes to the new Form I-9 include:
- New revision date (03/08/2013 N) and expiration date (03/31/2016).
- Instructions for Form I-9 are six pages (formerly 3) with links to resources.
- Form I-9 is now two pages.
- Fillable with drop down menus for date and country of issuance.
- Data field titles are clearer.
- New fields for Section 1: E-mail address and phone number (optional), Alien Authorized to Work, and Foreign passport and country of issuance.
- Changes for Section 2: Employee’s name on top of form and new fields for List A document combinations.
Employers should begin using the revised Form I-9 immediately. However, the USCIS is allowing 60 days from March 8, 2013 – the date of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a Notice in the Federal Register – during which time employers may continue to use prior versions of the Form I-9 (Rev.02/02/09 N) and (Rev. 08/07/09 Y). Beginning May 7, 2013, employers may only use the new Form I-9 with revision date March 8, 2013 available at http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-9.pdf.
E-Verify is a free Internet-based system run by the USCIS that compares information from the Form I-9 with DHS and Social Security Administration (SSA) databases. Each issue of E-Verify Connection includes updates about advances in the system and other useful information related to employment eligibility verification. To subscribe, email E-VerifyOutreach@dhs.gov. To learn all about the latest Form I-9 and E-Verify enhancements, visit http://www.uscis.gov/I-9Central.
A Designated E-Verify Employer Agent such as Employment Screening Resources® (ESR) may help employers comply with Form I-9 regulations. To learn more, visit http://www.esrcheck.com/formi9.php. ESR – ‘The Background Check Authority®’ – is a nationwide background screening firm accredited by The National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS®). For more information, visit http://www.esrcheck.com/ or call Toll Free 888.999.4474.
Sources:
http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-9.pdf
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-03-08/pdf/2013-05327.pdf
About Employment Screening Resources® (ESR):
Founded by safe hiring expert Attorney Les Rosen in 1997, Employment Screening Resources® (ESR) – ‘The Background Check Authority®’– provides accurate and actionable information that empowers employers to make informed hiring decisions for the benefit of their organizations, employees, and the public. CEO Rosen literally wrote the book on background checks with “The Safe Hiring Manual” and ESR is accredited by The National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS®), a distinction held by a small percent of screening firms. Employers choosing ESR know they have selected an agency meeting the highest industry standards. To learn more about ESR, visit http://www.esrcheck.com or call toll free 888.999.4474.
About ESR News:
The Employment Screening Resources (ESR®) News blog – ESR News – provides employment screening information for employers, recruiters, and jobseekers on a variety of topics including credit reports, criminal records, data privacy, discrimination, E-Verify, jobs reports, legal updates, negligent hiring, workplace violence, and use of search engines and social network sites for background checks. For more information about ESR News or to send comments or questions, please email ESR News Editor Thomas Ahearn at tahearn@esrcheck.com. To subscribe to the ESR News Blog Feed, visit http://www.esrcheck.com/wordpress/feed/. To subscribe to the complimentary ESRcheck Report monthly newsletter, please visit http://www.esrcheck.com/Newsletter/.