The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a new Form I-9 on November 7, 2007, which changes aspects of the employment eligibility verification process. Employers should immediately begin using the new Form I-9 both for new hires and for employees who are required to re-verify their authorization to work in the United States.

The additions and deletions to List A (acceptable documents that establish both identity and employment eligibility) place an increased emphasis on identification that includes a photograph. The new Form I-9 adds one document to List A:

• Unexpired Employment Authorization Document that contains a photograph (I-766)

The new form then removes five documents from List A:

• Certificate of U.S. Citizenship (Form N-560 or N-561)
• Certificate of Naturalization (Form N-550 or N-570)
• Alien Registration Receipt Card (Form 1-151)
• Unexpired Re-entry Permit (Form I-327)
• Unexpired Refugee Travel Document (Form I-571)

The instructions on the form have also been changed to state that unless an employer participates in E-Verify, employees are not obligated to provide their SSN on the Form I-9. However, this revision to the form does not change the requirement that employees must provide their SSN on the Form W-4, Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate, or that employers must provide the SSN for each employee on the Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement. The instructions also state that the Form I-9 may be signed and retained electronically.

If you would like to access the new Form I-9 online, click here. You might also be interested in reviewing the Department of Homeland Security's Handbook for Employers, which explains the changes and instructions for completing the Form I-9.