If you are hiring somebody new for your construction company this year, there is now a new and revised Employment Eligibility Verification form (Form I-9) that employers and employees must first fill out.
The new form is required as of January 22 and has two parts, one filled out by the employer, the other by the employee. The new forms are designed to reduce input errors. The online version features drop down lists, automated calendars, information prompts, translators, full instructions and areas for additional information.
The I-9 Form does not require a social security number, but employees must show some form of official identity document such as a valid passport, driver’s license or military ID. To see all the exact details, check out the government’s website at https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central.
The I-9 Form is mandatory and sometimes confused with the E-Verify system which is not. But given a new administration in Washington D.C. looking unfavorably at undocumented workers, you may want to implement E-Verify in your company to stay on the right side of employment law.
E-Verify is an Internet-based system that compares information from your job applicant’s Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification, to Department of Homeland Security, Social Security Administration, and Department of State records to confirm that they are authorized to work in the United States.
For more information see the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services website at https://www.e-verify.gov/
