Employers must complete Form I-9 to verify the ability of their employees to legally work in the U.S. Traditionally, the Form I-9 was in a hardcopy paper format. In June 2006, however, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued an interim rule permitting electronic completion, signatures, and storage of I-9s as a way of modernizing and improving the accuracy and cost-effectiveness of employers' employment verification programs.