Form I-9 in a nutshell - What you need to know…

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a revised form I-9 on November 7, 2007. The most significant change to the form was a reduction in the number of documents that employees may present to establish their identity and work eligibility (also known as "List A" of the List of Acceptable Documents on the back of the Form I-9).

All new employees, including U.S. citizens, must verify work eligibility with a Form I-9 when they are hired. Completed forms do not need to be submitted to the government, but employers must hold on to them. Employers are required by law to keep on file a hard copy or electronic version of the Form I-9 for three years after the employee's date of hire or for one year after the date the employee leaves the company (whichever date is later).

The new acceptable List A documents are:

• U.S. passport (unexpired or expired)
• Permanent Resident Card or Alien Registration Receipt Card (Form I-551)
• An unexpired foreign passport with a temporary I-551 stamp
• An unexpired Employment Authorization Document that contains a photograph (Form I-766, I-688, I-688A or I-688B)
• An unexpired foreign passport with an unexpired Arrival-Departure Record, Form I-94, bearing the same name as the passport and containing an endorsement of the alien’s nonimmigrant status, if that status authorizes the alien to work for the employer

You can no longer accept:

• A Certificate of U.S. Citizenship (Form N-560 or N-561)
• A Certificate of Naturalization (Form N-550 or N-570)
• An Alien Registration Receipt Card (I-151)
• An unexpired Reentry Permit (Form I-327) or
• An unexpired Refugee Travel Document (Form I-571)

The new form must be used starting 11/7/07.

Order your updated forms.

Form I-9 in a nutshell - What you need to know…