On January 31, 2020, USCIS published an updated Form I-9. Prior to publishing the updated Form I-9, USCIS told employers to continue using the previous Form I-9 despite the fact that it had an 8/31/2019 expiration date.
With the release of the updated Form I-9, USCIS specified that “employers may continue using the prior version of the form (Rev. 07/17/2017) 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 updated Form I-9 contains minor changes including:
- Clarification on who can act as an authorized representative on behalf of an employer
- Clarifications on acceptable documents
- Updated process for requesting paper I-9 Forms
- Updated DHS Privacy notice
- Updated USCIS website addresses
As a reminder, Form I-9 was created to determine who is legally authorized to work in the United States. Each newly hired employee must complete and sign Section 1 of Form I-9 no later than their first day of employment and employers must complete their sections of the I-9 form within 3 business days of the employee’s first day of employment.
It is extremely important that I-9 Forms are filled out promptly and accurately, as fines per violation per form can range from $230 to $2,292.
If you have any questions regarding the Form I-9 process, let us know!