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NEWS FLASH - USCIS TO ALLOW REMOTELY VERIFIED I-9's IF EMPLOYER USES E-VERIFY AND FOLLOWS PROCEDURES

REMOTE RE-VERIFICATION ALSO ALLOWED FOR COVID-ERA "CATCH UP" VERIFICATIONS IF THE EMPLOYER USED E-VERIFY AT THE TIME OF ORIGINAL REMOTE DOCUMENT VERIFICATION

In my last post I alerted readers to the potential for USCIS to allow remote verification of I-9 documentation to continue after expiration of the COVID emergency rule on July 30. Well, the future is here, and as of August 1, 2023, there will be a new I-9 form allowing employers who use E-Verify to remotely verify the employee's I-9 documentation if they follow the prescribed procedures. These procedures, among other things, require the new hires to submit copies of their documentation to the employer, followed by a live video interaction to complete the verification.

The new I-9 form will be released on August 1, but employers can continue using the current I-9 form until October 31, after which the new form will be mandatory, whether you remotely verify or not.

There is also good news on the re-verification front (August 30 deadline) for certain employers who remotely verified documents during the COVID remote viewing period (3/20/20 - 7/31/23). If an Employer used E-Verify during this period and opened a case for a worker, the re-verification can now be conducted remotely using the new procedures. Yes, that's right - a remote re-verification of a remote verification.

You can find the USCIS press Release here.

Contact Bill Josey: wjosey@staffinglaw.com