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3.2.1 Employee’s First Day of Employment

The employee’s first day of employment is the date the employee begins working in exchange for wages or other remuneration. The employee’s first day of employment is recorded in Section 2 of Form I-9.

screen capture of the Employee Certification in Section2 of the Form I-9 highlighting the First Day of Employment field

If Form I-9 is completed after the employee accepts the offer of employment, but before the actual start of work for pay or other remuneration, it is possible that the first day of employment recorded on Form I-9 could change after the employer created the case in E-Verify. If this happens, no additional action is required in E Verify as the first day of employment cannot be changed once the case has been submitted. If the employee’s first day of employment changes, employers should correct the date originally indicated as the employee’s first day of employment in the certification block in Section 2 on the employee’s Form I-9first. Consult the Handbook for Employers (M-274) or visit www.uscis.gov/i-9central for more information.

Employees whose first day of employment was on or before November 6, 1986, are not subject to Form I-9. Therefore, employers may not create E-Verify cases for these employees based on this employment. Individuals hired for employment in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) on or before November 27, 2009, are not subject to Form I-9 and their employers may not create cases in E-Verify for them based on this employment.

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