USCIS ISSUES A REVISED
I-9
On November 7, 2007, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
(USCIS) released a revised Form I-9 and a related updated
Handbook for Employers, Instructions for Completing the
Form I-9. The revised form must be used by employers no
later than December 7, 2007, at which time the existing
form will no longer be acceptable.
The revised Form I-9 applies only to new hires, and does
not need to be completed for existing employees. In order
to avoid any mistakes, we recommend that employers begin
using the revised form (dated June 5, 2007) immediately.
While the revised Form I-9 is largely identical to the
existing form, five of the documents previously used to
verify work eligibility have been eliminated from List A.
Employers will no longer be able to accept the following
documents to determine employment eligibility:
1) Certificate of U.S. Citizenship (Form N-560 or N-570);
2) Certificate of Naturalization (Form N-550 or N-570);
3) Alien Registration Receipt Card (Form I-151);
4) Unexpired Reentry Permit (Form I-327); and
5) Unexpired Refugee Travel Document (Form I-571).
The other significant change in the revised Form I-9 is
in the Section 1 instructions regarding Social Security
Numbers. The amended Form I-9 informs employees that providing
their Social Security number is voluntary. Employees must,
however, provide their Social Security number if their Employer
participates in E-Verify (the employment eligibility verification
program formerly known as Basic Pilot Program or Electronic
Employment Verification (EEV)).
The updated Handbook for Employers, Instructions for Completing
the Form I-9 is available at http://www.uscis.gov/files/nativedocuments/m-274.pdf.
Shawe
Rosenthal, LLP provides this publication for informational
purposes, and it should not be construed or relied upon
as legal advice. You should contact your Shawe Rosenthal,
LLP lawyer to discuss any questions that you may have concerning
your own situation.
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