The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) (formerly the INS) recently announced the release of a new I-9 form to be used to verify an employee’s authorization to work in the United States.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) (formerly the INS) recently announced the release of a new I-9 form to be used to verify an employee’s authorization to work in the United States. On the revised form, the government has eliminated 5 documents from List A of the List of Acceptable Documents. These documents are: Certificate of U.S. Citizenship (Form N-560 or N-570); Certificate of Naturalization (Form N-550 or N-570); Alien Registration Receipt Card (Form I-151); the unexpired Reentry Permit (Form I-327); and the unexpired Refugee Travel Document (Form I-571). The government also added the most recent version of the Employment Authorization Document (Form I-766) to List A.
The revised I-9 form is available now and will become effective once notice is published in the Federal Register. Be aware that some companies are offering to sell employers the revised forms; however, there is no need to purchase these forms since they are available at no charge from the USCIS web site at: http://www.uscis.gov/i-9. The government has also revised the Handbook for Employers, Instructions for Completing the Form I-9, which can be downloaded from the USCIS web site at: http://www.uscis.gov/files/nativedocuments/m-274.pdf
Employers are encouraged to begin using the revised I-9 form immediately. After the form is published in the Federal Register, noncompliant employers may be fined or penalized.
If you have any questions regarding the revised I-9 form or any other employment-related immigration question, please contact Geetha Nadiminti at gnadiminti@fordharrison.com or 404-888-3940, or any member of Ford & Harrison’s Business Immigration practice group.