Revamped Form I-9: When do employers need to start using it?

Be sure your company gets the latest version of Form I-9. The new edition went into circulation on August 1, 2023, with its use required shortly after that.

In fact, the last day you can use the old form is October 31, 2023.

So says the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Here’s a closer look at the revamped form, as explained in a July 21, 2023, USCIS announcement.

How Form I-9 is different

You’ll find several changes on the revised Form I-9. They include:

• Two sections of the form have been condensed so they fit on a single page. They are Section 1, Employee Information and Attestation, and Section 2, Employer or Authorized Representative Review and Verification.
• The preparer/translator certification portion has been moved from Section 1 to a separate, standalone supplement. Employers can provide this to employees when necessary.
• Section 3, Reverification and Rehire, has been moved to a standalone supplement. Employees can print this section if they need to reverify or rehire someone.
• The page that lists acceptable documents has been revised – some acceptable receipts have been added. Also, guidance and links to info on automatic extensions of employment authorization documentation are included.
• A checkbox has been added. Employers will need this to indicate when they’ve examined an employee’s Form I-9 documentation remotely.

Another change with this version is that the form can be fillable on a tablet or mobile device.

As for the form’s instructions, USCIS has reduced them from 15 pages to eight.

Reminder: You don’t need to ask current employees with a properly completed Form I-9 on file to fill out the new version of the form.

After all, unnecessary employment verification can lead to violations of federal immigration law.