Understanding the New I-9 Employment Verification Forms

U.S.
employers may be able to streamline the onboarding of new employees now
that the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security has issued a new version of
the I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification Form, effective Aug. 1. 

This
form will allow qualifying employers to avoid the actual, and often
time-consuming, physical inspection of employee documents and verify
them remotely via video calls.

This new edition will become
mandatory for all employers after Oct. 31; until then, employers may
continue to use the prior version.

“This new ‘alternative procedure’ for verifying the employment eligibility of new workers has the potential to ease their onboarding process and save employers time in what can sometimes be confusing.”

Among the changes to the form are:

• Sections 1 and 2 are now on a single page;

• The previous Preparer / Translator certification is now a separate supplement (to be used as needed);

• The previous Section 3 (for re-verifications and rehiring former employees) is also a separate supplement;

• The new form can be completed on tablets and mobile devices (after downloads);

• Better clarity regarding acceptable documents, including filing receipts and links to additional information;

• Below is a checkbox for qualifying employers who remotely review employee documents (the “alternative procedure”).

6 Steps to New I-9 Remote Verification 

Now
that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has issued a new version
of the I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification Form, roofing contractors
can use a new feature. 

Following up on the lessons it indicates
it learned from millions working remotely during the COVID-19 lockdowns,
DHS will now allow qualifying employers an alternative to the in-person
examination of the original documents provided by newly hired employees
and permit employers to review copies of them during video calls.

A
“qualified” employer is one that has enrolled in E-Verify. New hires
can only be remotely verified for those with multiple worksites if the
site into which they are hired has been included in the employer’s
E-Verify registration. 

To
remotely verify a new hire, a qualified employer must do the following
in the first three business days of the person’s employment:

1. Obtain copies of the employee’s identity and employment authorization document(s) (front and back);

2. Examine
   these copies (front and back) of Form I–9 documents or an acceptable
   receipt to ensure that the documentation presented reasonably appears to
   be genuine;

3. Conduct a live
   video interaction with the new hire who is presenting the original
   document(s) to ensure that it/they reasonably appear(s) to be genuine
   and related to that individual;

4. Indicate
   on Form I–9 by checking the corresponding box that an alternative
   procedure was used to examine documentation to complete Section 2 (or
   for re-verification, as applicable). (This box is in the “Additional
   Information” part of Section 2 of the new form.)

5. Retain,
   consistent with applicable regulations, a clear and legible copy of the
   documentation (front and back if the documentation is two-sided);

6. Keep on file clear and legible copies of the employee’s documentation.

This
new “alternative procedure” for verifying the employment eligibility of
new workers has the potential to ease their onboarding process and save
employers time in what can sometimes be confusing.