By: vadmin / December 19, 2023

What is an I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification form?

The I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification is a form that must be completed for every new employee. Section 1 needs to be completed on the first day of the employee’s assignment. Section 2 must be completed within three business days of the commencement of the employment, there needs to be a genuine and thorough review of all documents.

What are the steps for an I-9 audit?

To complete a I-9 audit it is necessary to make sure that your company has an updated roster of all active, inactive and terminated employee I-9 documents

1) Create a list of employees hired. The list should show last name, first name, date of hire, date of termination, SNN or DOB (or both), If there is a re-hiring, show both start and end terms dates.

2) Gather all I-9 files you have. Categorize them into current or terminated employees. These I-9 files can be paper or electronic.

3) It is essential to acquire all I-9 audits and documentation for current employees who are missing I-9 audits.

4) Make sure to meet all compliance guidelines and perform audits for existing I-9s with current employees. Check everything in section 1, 2 and 3.

5) Fix all errors within an I-9. Make a list of all the I-9s that contain errors.

6) For those employees who have terminated their employment, make sure to retain all the I-9 audits. Employers are required to retain I-9s for three years after the employee’s date of hire or for one year following his or her date of termination, whichever is later.

7) Complete your audit. Have a proper documentation of all the corrections made on the I-9s. Organize and prepare all the I-9s and document all the clear steps you’ve taken to perform the audit.

What are some mistakes performed by self-auditing?

It is important not to make the following mistakes when working on I-9 documentation. It is crucial to have qualified, well-trained, impartial auditors to review I-9 forms. This is crucial when it comes to preparing the employer to defend itself from the Department of Homeland Security.

1) throwing away the original I-9 documents – DO NOT do this.

2) Not checking section 1 and section 2 to make sure all information is valid

3) Making changes without proper dates on the forms

4) If not completed timely, make sure it seem like the documents have all been done in a timely manner.

A few tips from the immigration law offices of Varun Luthra:

> Use the correct I-9 forms released by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.

> Make sure that the employees complete sections properly and accurate. Cross-check to verify everything.

> Do not engage in any sort of discrimination or document abuse. Be as thorough as possible.

> Do not hold on to or accept any expired documents with an expiration date.

> Keep a separate I-9 binder for hired employees, inactive employees, and employees whose have been terminated.

> Timely verify all work authorization documents expiration

> Remember you will have to pay very expensive fines if you hire and employ unauthorized workers.

Speak with the law offices of Ohio and Maryland immigration attorney Varun Luthra for any legal advice you require on I-9 audits. With years of experience in business immigration, especially I-9s and audits, it is important to work with an attorney who understands the process.