The Form I-9 is getting another makeover. The ubiquitous HR onboarding document used to record employment eligibility verification, as required by the federal government, is slated to undergo a significant structural overhaul by the time the current form expires on Oct. 31.
The department’s proposed changes, include:
- Compressing Sections 1 and 2 from two pages to one page to reduce paper use.
- Moving Section 3 to a separate Reverification and Rehire Supplement, making it a stand-alone section, which only is accessed if needed.
- Updating the List of Acceptable Documents to include a link to List C documents (on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website) issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Some List C documents were unlisted, so this will be a helpful resource.
- Reducing and simplifying the form’s instructions from 15 pages to 7 pages.
- Removing electronic .pdf enhancements to ensure the form can be completed on all electronic devices.
Other minor changes to the proposed form include the condensing of the A-number, I-94 and Foreign Passport boxes into one box, and the removal of the QR code box. The “smart” online version of the Form I-9 automatically generated a QR code meant to assist with record retention and tracking.
DHS is also reminding employers they should use the Additional Information field to record any additional information required to complete Section 2, or any updates that are necessary once Section 2 is complete.
