Remote I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification

The Dept. Homeland Security’s update of the I-9 employment process is effective as of Aug. 1. Attorney Zain Abidi, who wrote the above-referenced article, calls it arguably the biggest change to the I-9 process that verifies the eligibility of U.S. and foreign citizens to work in the United States since the inception of the program. It allows eligible employers to utilize remote inspection of Form I-9 documents by a live video call interaction. It is limited to employers in “good standing” with E-Verify, which requires enrollment at all U.S. hiring sites and completion of E-Verify fraud awareness and anti-discrimination training. The employee must first send the I-9 documentation to the employer, then the employer conducts a live video interaction with the employee. Employers who are unable or unwilling to utilize the new remote inspection method may continue to physically inspect original I-9 documents in person. The article highlights five things employers need to know about the new process.