DEALERSHIPS MUST USE NEW FORM I-9 BEGINNING NOVEMBER 1 BY MATT SIMPSON FISHER PHILLIPS Federal immigration officials just made critical changes to modernize the I-9 employment verification process. The new Form I-9 was made available for employers to use beginning August 1, and all employers must use the new form by November 1. Here are best practices for compliance, given the new rules soon in effect. DHS MAKES CHANGES TO THE STREAMLINED FORM I-9 The new Form I-9 has been available for dealers to use beginning August 1. However, dealers must use the new form by November 1. The full list of DHS’s changes include: • Reduced Sections 1 and 2 to a single-sided page by merging some fields; • Moved the Section 1 Preparer/Translator Certification area to a separate, standalone Supplement A that employers can provide to employees if needed; • Ensured the form can be filled out on tablets and mobile devices; • Ensured the form can be downloaded easily and removed the requirement to enter “N/A” in certain fields; • Revised the Lists of Acceptable Documents page to include some acceptable receipts, as well as guidance and links to information on automatic extensions of employment authorization documentation; and • Added a box that eligible employers must check if the employee’s Form I-9 documentation was examined under a DHS-authorized alternative procedure rather than via physical examination. DHS also reduced the length of the Form I-9 Instructions from 15 pages to eight pages and streamlined the steps each actor takes to complete their section of the form, among other changes. QUALIFIED E-VERIFY EMPLOYERS MAY REMOTELY EXAMINE FORM I-9 DOCUMENTS Under current Form I-9 rules, employers are required to physically examine an employee’s original identity and work authorization documents. DHS has now created a separate framework to authorize alternative document examination procedures as an optional alternative to the in-person physical document examination method. The first alternative DHS authorized is an option for qualified E-Verify employers to remotely examine identity and work authorization documents beginning on August 1. Qualified E-Verify employers are those employers who are THE GENERATOR 26
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