The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has extended the expiration date of the current employment eligibility verification (Form I-9) form. The current Form I-9 is the August 1, 2023 edition. According to the USCIS, it will now display an expiration date of May 31, 2027.

Employers can find the current Form I-9 on the USCIS’s website. New hires must complete a Form I-9 with their employers, who will retain the completed documents for future uses, such as inspections by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The USCIS regularly updates Form I-9 documents to keep pace with changing technology. Employers can find it on the USCIS website, which always offers the latest version and expiration date.

As such, employers will find the Form I-9 that the USCIS introduced on August 1, 2023, updated on the website. The new version reduced Sections 1 and 2 to a single page. It also removed Section 3 and added the option for verifying documents remotely. The former Section 3 is now Supplement B, which employers should use for reverification or rehiring.

The current Form I-9 allows employers enrolled in E-Verify to check a box indicating that they reviewed an employee’s identity and work authorization documentation remotely. E-Verify is a federal website run by the USCIS and the Social Security Administration (SSA). This system compares the employee’s information to records available to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the SSAs.

Employers and employees have enthusiastically welcomed the changes to allow remote verification and reduce the Form I-9 pages. Other changes by the USCIS include moving the preparer translator certification to a new page, Supplement A, and removing the mandatory “N/A” response for unused fields. The USCIS also updated the Lists of Acceptable Documents and made other minor improvements from the 2019 Form I-9.

The latest update only extends the expiration date of the current Form I-9. The previous expiration date of July 31, 2026, has changed to May 31, 2027. The USCIS has stressed that both versions will remain valid until their respective expiration dates. However, the USCIS has urged employers with electronic Form I-9 systems to update to the extended version. This recommendation is because the new Form I-9 will become mandatory by July 31, 2026. As such, changing to the latest expiration date now could avoid future transition challenges.

One way to help ensure compliance with Employment Eligibility Verification challenges is to incorporate an electronic I-9 management system into the onboarding process. This system can provide step-by-step guidance to help ensure uniform and compliant completion of the Form I-9 for every new hire.

Automate your employment eligibility verification today with the ensured compliance of I-9 Compliance.

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