On January 31, 2020, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a new version of Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, which has a 10/21/2019 version date (located in the lower left corner of the form).
Employers may begin using the updated Form I-9 now. After April 30, 2020, employers must use the updated Form I-9.
USCIS made the following changes to the form and its instructions:
Form – no substantive changes:
- Added one country to the drop-down function in the Country of Issuance field in Section 1, among other minor changes visible only when completing the electronic version of the form.
Form Instructions:
- Clarified who can act as an authorized representative on behalf of an employer;
- Updated USCIS website addresses;
- Provided clarifications on acceptable documents for Form I-9 (the Lists of Acceptable Documents has not changed);
- Updated the process for requesting paper Forms I-9;
- Updated the DHS Privacy Notice.
Form I-9 is used by U.S. employers to verify the identity and employment authorization of individuals hired for employment in the United States, including both citizens and non-citizens. It is critical that employers prepare and retain the latest version of Form I-9 during the verification process.
