U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a new version of Form I-9 effective August 1, 2023. Employers must use Form I-9 to verify the identity and employment authorization of their employees. Employers may begin using the new edition beginning Aug. 1, 2023, or may choose to continue to use the 2019 version of the form through Oct. 31, 2023. Beginning Nov. 1, 2023, only the new Form I-9 dated "08/01/2023” may be used.
Also, the policy of allowing I-9s to be inspected remotely over video to accommodate changes instituted during the COVID-19 pandemic came to an end July 31, 2023. Employers that do not qualify for, or choose not to use, the remote verification option have until August 30, 2023, to physically inspect I-9s that were completed remotely.
An overview of Form I-9 changes include:
Reduced Sections 1 and 2 to a single sheet.
Moved the Section 1 Preparer/Translator Certification area to a separate Supplement A that employers can use when necessary.
Moved Section 3 Reverification and Rehire to a standalone Supplement B that employers can use as needed for rehire or reverification.
Removed use of “alien authorized to work” in Section 1 and replaced it with “noncitizen authorized to work” and clarified the difference between “noncitizen national” and “noncitizen authorized to work.”
Ensured the form can be filled out on tablets and mobile devices by downloading onto the device and opening in the free Adobe Acrobat Reader app.
Removed certain features to ensure the form can be downloaded easily. This also removes the requirement to enter N/A in certain fields.
Improved guidance to the Lists of Acceptable Documents to include some acceptable receipts, guidance, and links to information on automatic extensions of employment authorization documentation.
Added a checkbox for E-Verify employers to indicate when they have remotely examined Form I-9 documents.
An overview of Form I-9 Instructions changes include:
Reduced length from 15 pages to 8 pages.
Added definitions of key actors in the Form I-9 process.
Streamlined the steps each actor takes to complete their section of the form.
Added instructions for the new checkbox to indicate when Form I-9 documents were remotely examined.
Removed the abbreviations charts and relocated them to the M-274.
You can find both the instructions and new I-9 form here at the USCIS website.
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