U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has released an updated version of the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. The new Form I-9, dated 11/14/2016 N, will become mandatory on Jan. 22, 2017, replacing the version dated 03/08/2013 N, which may continue to be used until Jan. 21, 2017.  Under federal immigration law, employers must maintain a properly completed Form I-9 for all employees hired in the U.S. after Nov. 6, 1986.

The new Form I-9, which must be used for all newly hired employees and those who require the re-verification of their U.S. employment eligibility, contains a number of new features, including but not limited to:

1) Clarification of the “other names used” field in Section to request only “other last names used” and the numbering of immigration status categories in Section 1;

2) Additional details regarding the preparer/translator category, including the ability to select multiple preparers/translators;

3) A designated area to enter additional information that previously needed to be entered as a margin note, such as the auto-extension of an individual’s work-authorized status, where applicable;

4) A separate page (Page 3) for Section 3 of the Form I-9;

5) Additional prompts and electronic enhancements, such as drop-down lists and calendars, to facilitate the proper entry of required information.