By: Rachel D. Gebaide and Timothy C. Haughee
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has released a revised Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9 in an effort to help diminish some of the confusion surrounding the completion of the form. As most employers are aware, all employers in the United States are required to complete a Form I-9 for every employee hired in order to verify that the individual is authorized to work in the United States.
Although employers have a 60-day grace period until May 7, 2013 to begin using the new form, employers should begin using the new form immediately as a best practice. The new Form I-9 must be used for new hires, re-verifications of current employees, and re-hires. No action is required of employers with regard to their current employees for which re-verification is not necessary.The new version of the Form I-9 includes the following substantive changes from the prior version…