Important I-9 Updates - Immediate Action Required

Aug. 1, 2023
Workforce Systems

Several recent updates to the Form I-9 process require immediate attention by your I-9 Approvers. Please read carefully to learn your required actions and the steps we are taking to implement the changes.

COVID-19 Procedure Expired July 31

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) ended the temporary COVID-19 procedure effective July 31. This procedure enabled I-9 Approvers to 1) initially review Form I-9 employment authorization and identity documents remotely, and 2) reverify the documents through an in-person meeting once the employee physically returned to work on a regular basis.

Action Item: Please immediately discontinue use of the COVID-19 procedure to complete Form I-9s.

New I-9 Alternative Verification Option Begins Aug. 1

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has published an Alternative Verification procedure as an option to the in-person physical document examination requirement associated with Form I-9.

Alternative Verification Procedure Flowchart

Action Item: Follow this I-9 Verification Options Side-By-Side Comparison Chart for an overview of the two options and their requirements. While the in-person I-9 verification option is still available, using the Alternative Verification Procedure will streamline the overall I-9 process and is expected to eliminate the need for remote I-9 processing via authorized representatives (e.g., notaries).

 

Important Notice

I-9 Approvers must have active E-Verify enrollment for the University to use the Alternative Verification option.

 

All I-9 Approvers Must Enroll in E-Verify by Aug. 11

To ensure compliance with DHS regulations, all I-9 Approvers must be enrolled in E-Verify no later than Aug. 11. 

  • I-9 Approvers will receive an email from Workforce Systems indicating whether they are enrolled in E-Verify. Those without active enrollment will receive instructions on Aug 2.
  • College/Division I-9 Approvers will receive a list of the I-9 Approvers and their E-Verify enrollment status.
  • Beginning Aug. 1, I-9 Approver provisioning requests in UAccess will require E-Verify enrollment as a prerequisite. 

Action Item: If you are an I-9 Approver who is not enrolled in E-Verify, follow the instructions that will be sent Aug. 2.

All I-9s Pending Due to COVID-19 Procedure Must be Reverified by Aug. 30

As announced by USCIS, Form I-9s that are pending re-verification under the COVID-19 procedure must be reverified no later than Aug. 30.

  • Workforce Systems will distribute lists of I-9s awaiting re-verification to College/Division I-9 Approvers.
  • Only I-9 Approvers with active E-Verify enrollment for the University may use the Alternative Verification option, otherwise the re-verification must occur in person. A new E-Verify case should not be created.
  • USCIS has provided a Questions and Answers resource to assist with this re-verification process.

Action Item:  I-9 Approvers will need to reverify the employment authorization and identify documents of all employees who still have I-9s awaiting re-verification due to the COVID-19 procedure. Submit all reverified I-9s and copies of I-9 documents examined during the re-verification to Workforce Systems by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 30.

New Form I-9 will be Available Soon

USCIS announced it is publishing an updated Form I-9 (version date Aug. 1, 2023). We will let you know when a new Form I-9 will be available in UAccess Employee.

Action Item: Continue using the active version of Form I-9 in UAccess Employee (version date Oct. 21, 2019) while updates to this form are being prepared.