I-9: Verifying Eligibility

Form I-9 was revised by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on March 8, 2013. Both the English and Spanish versions of the form on HR California reflect those changes.

This section explains how to comply with immigration and naturalization laws and how to avoid related liabilities, such as discrimination and harassment claims. Federal immigration and naturalization laws impose complex compliance requirements on every employer, regardless of size. These laws require you to institute procedures for verifying that an individual is authorized to work in the United States. They also establish civil and criminal penalties for knowingly hiring, referring, recruiting or retaining in employment unauthorized employees when they are identified.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

  • Verifying Eligibility for Employment and Establishing Identity

    Verifying Eligibility for Employment and Establishing IdentityThe Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986 imposes compliance obligations and responsibilities on every employer regardless of size.   More »

    Read about a new 2013 agency action.
  • Completing the Form I-9

    Completing the Form I-9U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is responsible for issuing rules relating to the Form I-9. Employers should be careful to accurately complete the form.   More »

    Read about a new 2013 agency action.
  • E-Verify

    E-VerifyE-Verify compares information from the I-9 - Employment Eligibility Verification against federal government databases to verify employees' employment eligibility.   More »

  • Discovering an Unauthorized Worker

    Discovering an Unauthorized WorkerIf you discover that an employee has been working without authorization, reverify work authorization by allowing the employee another opportunity to present acceptable documentation and complete a new Form I-9.  More »

  • Reverifying Employment Eligibility

    Reverifying Employment EligibilityYou must reverify employment eligibility when an employee’s employment authorization documentation expires.   More »

  • Verifying Eligibility: Avoiding Discrimination

    Verifying Eligibility: Avoiding DiscriminationIt is unlawful to discriminate against or harass employees because of their ethnic background or national origin, or to exclude applicants lawfully entitled to work in the United States for similar reasons.   More »

The HR Library offers many resources to help employers understand their responsibilities related to the I-9 form, including extensive information on how to complete the I-9 form and the various types of documents that employers may accept.