On July 17, 2017, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a revised version of the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification.  Effective September 18, 2017, employers MUST ONLY USE the new version of the Form I-9 dated 07.17.17 N for all new hires and for re-verifying current employees with expiring employment authorization documentation.  Employers may use the new version or the prior version of Form I-9 dated 11.14.16 N, but only until September 17, 2017.

Bells and Whistles of the REVISED Form I-9 (07.17.17 N) include:

  1. Revisions to the Form I-9 instructions:
  • The “Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices” has been renamed the “Immigrant and Employee Rights Section.”
  • “The end of” has been deleted from the phrase “the first day of employment.”
  1. Revisions related to the List of Acceptable Documents on Form I-9:
  • USCIS added the Consular Report of Birth Abroad (Form FS-240) as an acceptable List C document.
    • Employers completing Form I-9 on a computer will be able to select Form FS-240 from the drop-down menus available in List C of Sections 2 and 3.
    • E-Verify users will also be able to select Form FS-240 when creating a case for an employee who has presented this document for Form I-9.
  • USCIS have combined the various certifications of report of birth issued by the Department of State into selection Item 2 on List C, which now includes:
    • Form DS-1350 Certification of Birth issued by the Department of State
    • Form FS-545 Certification of Birth Abroad issued by the Department of State, and
    • Form FS-240 The Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA)
  • All list C documents, except the Social Security card, are renumbered. For example, the employment authorization document issued by the Department of Homeland Security on List C changed from List C #8 to List C #7.

CowanPerry recommends that employers begin utilizing the currently available REVISED Form I-9 labeled 07.17.17 N, and ensure its implementation into your practices and procedures by September 18, 2017.  Please note, it is not necessary to complete new forms for existing employees not needing re-verification, however, employers should continue to keep previously completed I-9 forms according to the USCIS storage and retention rules.

If you are an employer and have questions or would like to discuss further, please email: Revised Form I-9 Update and we will be glad to assist you.