On July 17, 2017, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a revised version of Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification.  

By September 18, 2017, employers must begin using this revised Form I-9 for all new hires, reverifications and rehires.  It is not necessary to redo previously completed I-9’s, unless an employee’s employment authorization or documentation of employment has expired.

Until September 18, 2017, employers have a choice:  they may continue to use the I-9 form with a revision date of “11/14/16N”, or begin using the new, revised form.

The new version of Form I-9 is very similar to the prior version. The changes include the addition of a new document, the Consular Report of Birth Abroad (Form FS-240) that may be used to show an individual’s identity and employment authorization.

Detailed instructions for completion of Form I-9 are provided in a handbook that can be accessed on the Department of Homeland Security’s preview website. 

This blog is presented under protest by the law firm of Ervin Cohen & Jessup LLP.  It is essentially the random thoughts and opinions of someone who lives in the trenches of the war that often is employment law–he/she may well be a little shell-shocked.  So if you are thinking “woohoo, I just landed some free legal advice that will fix all my problems!”, think again.  This is commentary, people, a sketchy overview of some current legal issue with a dose of humor, but commentary nonetheless; as if Dennis Miller were a lawyer…and still mildly amusing.  No legal advice here; you would have to pay real US currency for that (unless you are my mom, and even then there are limits).  But feel free to contact us with your questions and comments—who knows, we might even answer you.  And if you want to spread this stuff around, feel free to do so, but please keep it in its present form (‘cause you can’t mess with this kind of poetry).  Big news: Copyright 2017.  All rights reserved; yep, all of them. If you have any questions about this article, contact the writer directly, assuming he or she was brave enough to attach their name to it. 

If you have any questions regarding this blog or your life in general, contact Kelly O. Scott, Esq., commander in chief of this blog and Head Honcho (official legal title) of ECJ’s Employment Law Department.