The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently issue a notice that it would be flexible regarding I-9 form and document verification during COVID-19. While this is meant to ease the burden on employers, it’s important to note that there are specific rules that need to be followed to remain in compliance.
Normally, the DHS’ policy is that employers are required to verify an employee’s identification and their authorization documents in their physical presence. With the outbreak of COVID-19 making this practice difficult, DHS is allowing employers that have implemented physical proximity policies to verify identity documents remotely.
This measure does not relieve the employer of their obligation to verify documentation in the employees’ physical presence though; employers will still need to fulfill the normal requirement for all employees verified remotely once normal operations resume. When this occurs, employers should enter “COVID-19” as the reason for the delay under the Section 2 Additional information field.
If you’re an employer that utilizes CRC’s online I-9 form documentation service, you can utilize additional features we’ve made to help reduce the burden of organizing and tracking this update. We’ve added a checkbox in the top of section 2 titled “Operating remotely physical inspection delay COVID-19.” Checking this box will allow the employer to upload a copy of the documents. Once normal operations resume, customers are notified to complete their physical inspections and mark them as complete on their forms.
If you have any questions about the DHS’ announcement or CRC’s I-9 fulfillment, please reach out to our Sales team.
No comment yet, add your voice below!