The U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is reminding employers to use the new Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification (Rev. 03/08/13) N for newly hired employees in the United States starting Tuesday, May 7, 2013. The new Form I-9 that all employers must begin using by May 7, 2013 is available at http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-9.pdf.
On March 8, 2013, the USCIS published a new Form I-9 for employers to use immediately to comply with employment eligibility verification responsibilities. Since the USCIS recognized some employers would need additional time to allow for use of the new Form I-9, employers were granted a 60-day period to continue using previously accepted revisions (Rev.02/02/09) N and (Rev. 08/07/09) Y until May 7, 2013.
The newly revised Form I-9 has several new features and several improvements designed to minimize errors in form completion. Key revisions to Form I–9 include:
- Adding data fields, including the employee’s foreign passport information (if applicable) and telephone and email addresses.
- Improving the form’s instructions to more clearly describe the information employees and employers must provide in each section.
- Revising the layout of the form, expanding the form from one to two pages (not including the form instructions and the List of Acceptable Documents).
The revision date of the Form I-9 (Rev. 03/08/13) N is printed on the lower left corner of the form. The new expiration date is (03/31/2016). Employers should not complete a new version of the Form I-9 for current employees if a properly completed Form I-9 is already on file. Visit the I-9 Central Home for additional information about the Form I-9 process at http://www.uscis.gov/I-9Central.
The Handbook for Employers, Guidance for Completing the Form I-9 (M-274) has also been updated to include information about the revised Form I-9 (Rev. 03/08/13) N. Helpful new images have been added to illustrate how employees and employers can complete the new form. The updated Handbook is available at http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/m-274.pdf.
E-Verify is a free web-based employment eligibility verification system run by the USCIS that compares information from the Form I-9 all newly hired workers must complete to government records. A Designated E-Verify Employer Agent such as Employment Screening Resources® (ESR) may help businesses comply with Form I-9/E-Verify regulations at http://www.esrcheck.com/formi9.php.
Employment Screening Resources® (ESR) – ‘The Background Check Authority®’ – is a nationwide background screening provider 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://content.govdelivery.com/bulletins/gd/USDHSCIS-79405d
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/.