Happy New Year!! Effective January 22, the Department of Labor has required a NEW I-9 form. The old form, dated in 2013, is now obsolete. There are some “teeth” in to force employers to the new form – the penalties have been significantly increased for those who do not follow verification requirements. Given the Trump administration’s focus on immigration, employers can reasonably expect greater emphasis on I-9 audits in the future, so it is important to ensure you are in compliance.
While there are many similarities in the new form, there are some changes, too, that employees and employers must follow. For example, fields that could previously be left blank if no information to enter (such as middle initial) must now be notated with N/A. The form is now “smart” in that it is a fillable PDF. However, it still must be printed out once completed and signed, so still is considered a “paper” form.
The best piece of advice is to READ the INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY. This form is to be used for NEW employees; existing employees do not need to complete the new form. In addition, the documents required to prove identity and citizenship are the SAME. Dropdown menus common to the electronic I-9s are now included in this fillable PDF.
Click here to get new form on the DOL’s website: https://www.doleta.gov/ohr/forms/I-9_form.pdf
If you have questions, feel free to contact one of Weaver’s consultants at 208.938.9726 or through our email at info@weaver-solutions.com. Thank you!
208.938.9726
Patti did an outstanding job investigating the situation, identifying root causes, and working with the team to get them back on track.