U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a new version of the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. The updated form from USCIS has been available since August but has become mandatory for all employers as of November 1, 2023. Guardian has been updated to reflect the new form.

Overview of Form I-9 Changes

• Reduces Sections 1 and 2 to a single-sided sheet.
• Designed to be a fillable form on tablets and mobile devices.
• Revises the List of Acceptable Documents page to include some acceptable receipts, guidance, and links to information on automatic extensions of employment authorization documentation.
• Provides an alternative procedure for remote examination of documents.

New Remote I-9 Process

In addition to the new Form I-9, USCIS has allowed optional alternatives for employers to examine Form I-9 documentation. The new form subsequently has a checkbox to indicate when an employee's Form I-9 documentation was examined using a DHS-authorized alternative procedure. This process is to be used for remote hires only. Department Representatives performing remote verification must conduct a live video interview with the employee and retain copies of all documents presented in the I-9 verification process. Since Department Representatives can initiate the remote process for applicable employees on their own, the Remote I-9 Request Form Tile will be removed in OMNI.

Please see the attached reference guide for virtual verification steps. For more information, visit the I-9 Remote Hire website.

Questions? Please contact Derik Lipford at dlipford@fsu.edu or (850) 644-4915.