On March 8, 2013, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a revised version of Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. It is required that employers use Form I-9 to verify the identity and employment authorization eligibility of their employees.
Employers should begin using the new version of Form I-9 (with a revision date of “03/08/13 N”) immediately.
The USCIS will allow a 60-day grace period, so after May 7, 2013, the only acceptable version will be the newly released form.
The revised Form I-9 includes several improvements designed to minimize errors in form completion, including:
• New data fields for the employee’s foreign passport information (if applicable), optional fields for telephone number and email address
• Improved form instructions
• A revised layout, which expands the form from one to two pages (not including the instructions and the “List of Acceptable Documents”).
As a reminder, employers are required to make their employees’ Forms I-9 available for inspection upon request by:
• Officers of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
• The Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Special Counsel for Immigration Related Unfair Employment Practices
• The Department of Labor.
Failure by an employer to ensure proper completion and retention of Forms I-9 may subject the employer to civil money penalties and, in some cases, criminal penalties.
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