USCIS Releases Updates to Form I-9

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released the latest update to the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, on July 17, 2017.

However, employers may continue using the Form I-9 with a revision date of 11/14/16 N through September 17, 2017.

On September 18, 2017 employers must begin using the revised form with a revision date of 07/17/17 N, while continuing to follow the existing storage and retention rules for any previously completed Form I-9’s.

To ensure compliance with the USCIS, ExactHire will make the new Form I-9 available for all OnboardCentric clients before September 18, 2017.

Revisions to the Form I-9 Instructions Include:

• Changing the name of the Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices to its new name, Immigrant and Employee Rights Section.
• Removing “the end of” from the phrase “the first day of employment.”

Revisions to the List of Acceptable Documents:

• Adding the “Consular Report of Birth Abroad (Form FS-240)” to List C.
  • Employers completing Form I-9 on a computer can select Form FS-240 from the drop-down menus available in List C, Sections 2 and 3.
  • E-Verify users can select Form FS-240 when creating a case for an employee who has presented this document for Form I-9.
• Combining all certifications of report of birth issued by the Department of State (Form FS-545, Form DS-1350 and Form FS-240) into C #2 in List C.
• Renumbering all List C documents except the Social Security card. For example, the employment authorization document issued by the Department of Homeland Security on List C will change from List C #8 to List C #7.

The USCIS has included these changes in a revised Handbook for Employers: Guidance for Completing Form I-9 (M-274), which is also be easier for users to navigate.

Helpful Links

• Handbook for Employers: Guidance for Completing Form I-9 (M-274)
• Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification (Updated 7/17/17 N)

Automate I-9 Paperwork

By using ExactHire’s employee onboarding software, companies can automate the completion and collection of the Form I9 (as well as other types of employment paperwork) via a secure, web-based portal. This speeds up the collection process and eliminates issues with illegible or incomplete documents.