HR Tip: New I-9 form now available

On Jan. 31, 2020, the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services published the Form I-9 Federal Register notice announcing a new version of Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, that the Office of Management and Budget approved on Oct. 21, 2019. This new version contains minor changes to the form and its instructions. Changes to the instructions clarify who can act as an authorized representative on behalf of the employer and what documents are acceptable as well as other updates.

It's a best practice to begin using the form immediately, although the notice provides employers additional time to make necessary updates and adjust their business processes. Employers may continue using the prior version of the form (Rev. 07/17/2017 N) until April 30, 2020. After that date, they can only use the new form with the 10/21/2019 version date. The version date is located in the lower left corner of the form.

The new edition of the form is available in fillable PDF format, print format and in Spanish on USCIS' I-9 Central website. However, the Spanish form may only be executed by employers in Puerto Rico; employers in the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and other U.S. territories may use the Spanish version of the form as a translation guide only but must complete the English version of the form.

All U.S. employers are required to complete a Form I-9 for every employee hired to verify that the individual is authorized for employment in the United States under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA) and for re-verifying current employees with expiring employment authorization documentation. Employers should not complete new forms for existing employees who do not require re-verification.