On July 17, 2017, the United States Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), released a new version of Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. While the new form currently is available here, employers are not required to begin using the revised version until September 18, 2017. As of that date, employers may not use any prior versions of Form I-9 when verifying an employee's identity and ability to accept employment in the United States.
Form I-9 has been revised many times over the past several years. This time, USCIS made minimal changes to the prior version of Form I-9. The most notable is the addition of a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (Form FS-240) as one of the Acceptable Documents in List C. This list describes the documents an employer may view in order to establish an individual's ability to accept employment in the United States. Additionally, List C now combines all certifications of report of birth issued by the U.S. State Department (Forms FS-240, FS-545 and DS-1350) in #2, List C.
Employers should also consult the M-274 Handbook, which is a comprehensive guide to I-9 issues and can be accessed here.
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