WASHINGTON Employers as of Friday must use revised I-9 employment eligibility verification forms that, among other things, prohibit the use of expired documents to support eligibility, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said.
The form, which is available at http://www.uscis.gov/I-9, reflects the revised list of documents that are acceptable for the I-9 process, as indicated in an interim final rule published Dec. 17 in the Federal Register. The latest version displays a revision date of “02/02/09” in the lower right corner. Forms with any other revision date may no longer be used, according to USCIS.
Federal law holds that so-called “paperwork” violations tied to I-9 forms, such as failing to complete or maintain such forms, can carry penalties of $110 to $1,100 per employee, regardless of their eligibility status, government documents indicate.
USCIS officials said expired documents are now excluded because their use “makes it more difficult for employers to verify an employee’s identity and employment authorization and compromises the Form I-9 process.”
By law, all employers, agricultural recruiters and referrers for a fee are required to verify the identity and employment authorization of each person they hire for employment in the United States. The revised instructional handbook for employers covering how to fill out I-9 forms is available at http://www.uscis.gov/files/nativedocuments/m-274_3apr09.pdf.
Contact Alan J. Liddle at [email protected].