U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) published the Form I-9 Federal Register notice announcing the new version of the document on January 31, 2020. This notice was published to offer employers time to adjust and make required alterations to current internal business processes. Employers can use the prior version of the form until April 30, 2020. Starting May 1, 2020 only the new form with the October 21, 2019 version date will be valid for use. Employers can locate the version date on the lower left corner of the document.

One change was made to the form itself; Section 1 and Section 2 were both updated to reflect country name changes, adding Eswatini and Macedonia, North. This change is only visible when electronically completing the fillable Form I-9.

Changes to the Form I-9 instructions include:

• Clarification as to who can act as an authorized representative on behalf of an employer
• Updated USCIS website addresses
• Clarification as to what constitutes acceptable documents for Form I-9
• Updated process for requesting paper forms
• Updated DHS Privacy Notice
• Revised Spanish version of Form I-9 accompanied by version date October 21, 2019 (available only for use in Puerto Rico)

Please click here to download the new version of the form and the updated instructions.

It is recommended that employers begin the transition process now in order to be prepared well ahead of the April 30, 2020 deadline. Please contact your account management team with questions or if you require guidance.

Posted: February 6, 2020

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