New Form I-9 and Increased Penalties - Raise the Stakes for Immigration Noncompliance
In November 2016, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released an updated "smart" version of the Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9 (commonly known as the "I-9 form" or "I-9"). As of January 22, 2017, all employers were required to begin using the updated form in the paper or fillable PDF version.
Note: Many employers are unable to open the fillable PDF version of the new I-9 form from the USCIS website even though they have the appropriate Adobe program. If you experience this difficulty, contact us and we'll email you the fillable version.
Along with the new form, the USCIS issued 15 pages of revised instructions for completing the new I-9 form. (Nearly double the number of pages from the former version!)
With increased immigration enforcement on the horizon and significantly higher fines for unlawful employment of immigrant workers, it is imperative to ensure compliance with immigration-related laws and regulations. Employers who hire one or more employees are required to comply with USCIS regulations pertaining to completion of I-9 forms.
Our Immigration Compliance Client Advisory highlights key changes to the new I-9 form and provides tips for properly completing the form. In addition, you'll find specific guidelines for correcting common errors and omissions on I-9s, information about increased fines and penalties, advice for minimizing risk if you discover that a worker falsified his or her identity or work authorization, a list of invalid Social Security numbers, and a summary of the most important compliance requirements that every employer MUST abide by.
The Immigration Compliance Client Advisory is packed with practical advice for ensuring compliance with USCIS regulations related to the I-9 form. If you delegate immigration compliance, auditing, and/or completion of I-9 forms to an internal employee or manager, we strongly recommend that you share our comprehensive advisory with them.
As always, if you have questions about these or other HR matters, let us know!
Jean Seawright, CMC
In addition, Seawright & Associates offers Group clients a unique one-on-one service arrangement to help meet additional human resource needs and challenges, most of which is INCLUDED IN YOUR GROUP RETAINER. For more information about Seawright & Associates visit www.seawright.com.