A new version of Form I-9 was released by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Employers use Form I-9 to document verification of the identity and employment authorization of each employee hired to work in the U.S. Employers must complete and retain the Form I-9 for each newly hired employee.
The new form may be used immediately and must be used beginning May 7, 2013. There is no requirement for an employer to complete the new form for current employees unless there is an upcoming re-verification requirement. Guidance released with the new form indicates that unnecessary re-verification of employees may, in fact, violate anti-discrimination provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
The new form adds new data fields, including foreign passport information and a space for an email address. The instructions were also revised, as was the layout of the form.
Employers should access a copy of the new Form I-9 at www.uscis.gov and use the revised form going forward.
