Form I-9 and E-Verify

U.S. employers use Form I-9 for employment eligibility verification when hiring. That’s why you need to pay attention to recent I-9 updates made by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), as they could affect your compliance status. 

The COVID-19 crisis is unprecedented and many companies and HR leaders have had to quickly pivot to a new remote work model that requires companies to assess how they can bring remote employees into their company culture and get them up to speed so they can be productive as quickly as possible. It also changes how we keep employees engaged, informed, and feeling like part of our company culture and organization. 

The world has changed and so have our workplaces. As HR leaders, we’re working without a guide and have had to quickly pivot many of the things we once took for granted, like mail service and obtaining copies of personal documentation including birth certificates and social security cards from new hires. The most important of these requirements is the I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification.

As we begin a new decade in 2020, here’s a look back at the most popular posts from the previous year. 2019 was a year with a heightened focus on compliance for employers as I-9 and E-Verify updates are enacted combined with no shortage of state marijuana legislation limiting how employers can drug test their workforce. The nursing talent shortage, healthcare compliance and recruitment conference takeaways, workforce diversity, and employment drug testing are all topics that were most popular among our readers in the past year.

Over the past two years, federal laws and policies related to citizenship and immigration enforcement have had several changes. HR and legal teams have had to struggle to keep up to date on changes specifically related to I-9 and E-Verify on the federal level, but also applicable changes in state laws. Companies must implement a process for state-specific onboarding forms that will also meet federal requirements. 

Earlier this summer, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a revised version of the Form I-9 on July 17, 2017. As of September 18, 2017, employers are now required to use the updated form with a revision date of 07/17/17 N. While the changes were relatively minor compared to the one released in November 2016, here’s an overview of what you need to know to ensure I-9 compliance for your organization.

The Form I-9 process can have serious consequences for employers if it is not managed properly. In fact, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) almost doubled in size the fine amounts for I-9 violations in August 2016. In the latest PreCheck white paper, “The Form I-9 and E-Verify: Keys to Compliance,” immigration attorney Nicole A.

The healthcare industry is one of the most complex and highly regulated, which means employers have a greater responsibility to ensure a safe workplace environment not just for their own staff, but also for patients. The past decade has seen advancements in technology and best practices for the industry, with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) placing greater emphasis on quality of care and patient safety. Industry regulators have provided updated guidance and newer technologies have allowed leading organizations and systems to improve the efficiency of their screening efforts.

The Form I-9 is a critical part of the hiring process for any employer. Federal law requires that every employer in the U.S. must complete the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. During our recent Form I-9 compliance essentials webinar, Immigration Attorney Nicole (“Nici”) A. Kersey discussed what employers need to know about the new Form I-9 released in November 2016 and how to properly use it to comply with the law.

On Wednesday, January 18, 2017, PreCheck offered a complimentary webinar covering I-9 compliance essentials for human resources professionals, and the recorded session is now available. During the informative learning session, Immigration Attorney Nicole ("Nici") A. Kersey, Managing Director at Kersey Immigration Compliance, discusses what employers need to know about the new Form I-9.