Tips for an Employee to Prevent a Tentative Nonconfirmation (Mismatch) Case Result

E-Verify may issue a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and/or Social Security Administration (SSA) Tentative Nonconfirmation (Mismatch) case result for a variety of reasons. For a list of possible reasons why your case received a mismatch case result, see Why did my E-Verify case receive a mismatch case result?

After Form I-9 is completed, your employer will take the information you provided and enter it into E-Verify to create your case. It is essential to complete Form I-9 legibly and correctly. General tips and Form I-9-specific tips to help you prevent a mismatch are provided below.

Tips for Completing Form I-9:

• Enter your full legal name in Section 1.
• Enter all information legibly on Form I-9, so your employer can read it and enter it correctly in E-Verify.
• If you have two last names (family names), include both. If you hyphenate your last name, include the hyphen (-) between the names.
• If you have two first names (given names), include both.
• Do not use nicknames. For example, if your full legal name is Thomas Smith but you use the nickname Tommy Smith, enter Thomas Smith.
• Make sure your name is written the same way on all of your documents. Your employer may question documents that have different spellings or are missing parts of your name.
• If your full legal name includes apostrophes (’) or hyphens (-), make sure you include these when completing Section 1. For example, if your full legal name is Bri’ Anna Jean-Baptiste, make sure to include all of the punctuation.
• Include other last names used, if applicable.
• Enter your date of birth in the month/day/year format. For example, May 1, 1968 must be written as 5/1/1968.

Tips to Avoid a Mismatch Case Result:

• Make sure your documents and records are up-to-date before it is time to complete your Form I-9.
• Inform the Social Security Administration (SSA) if you have changed your name.
• If there is a spelling error on your document, contact the agency that issued the document to correct the error.
• If the date of birth on your document is wrong, contact the agency that issued the document to correct the error.
• Before you complete Form I-9, use myE-Verify to verify that your government records are accurate.
• For more information about your rights and responsibilities, go to our Employee Rights and Responsibilities page.