Newly hired employees must complete Form I-9, regardless of whether they are assigned to a federal contract. Employers must comply with Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification procedures found in the ‘Handbook for Employers: Instructions for Completing Form I-9 (M-274)’ which is found in the ‘View Essential Resources’ link on the left navigation menu. As an E-Verify employer, you also have additional employment verification requirements for Form I-9 that other employers do not have:
- If an employee chooses to present a List B document, you may only accept a List B document that contains a photo (if your employee cannot provide such a document because of religious objections, contact the E-Verify Contact Center at 888-464-4218).
- If an employee chooses to present an Employment Authorization Document (Form I-766), Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551) or U.S. Passport or Passport Card you must make a copy the document and retain it with the employee’s Form I-9.
- Your employees must have a Social Security number (SSN) to be verified using E‑Verify. If an employee has applied for but has not yet received his or her Social Security number (i.e., if he or she is a newly arrived immigrant), make a note on the employee’s Form I-9 and set it aside. The employee should be allowed to continue to work. Once the employee receives a Social Security number, you can create a case in E-Verify using the employee’s Social Security number as soon as the Social Security number is available.
To create a case in E-Verify, enter the information from the employee’s completed Form I-9. For detailed information and guidelines on using E-Verify, refer to the ‘E‑Verify User Manual for Federal Contractors’ located in the ‘View Essential Resources’ link on the left navigation menu.