Employers Spend 1 Million Hours per Year Managing I-9 Forms

Most human resources professionals are familiar with the complexities of managing the Form I-9. From ensuring proper completion of the form to verifying identity documents to proper document retention, the Form I-9 process remains a burdensome process for employers.

Recently, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) estimated that organizations spend approximately one million hours per year managing the Form I-9 process.

To help address the burden of completing the Form I-9 and making other needed updates, the USCIS recently requested public comments on proposed revisions to the Form I-9. Specifically, the USCIS is seeking comment on the following topics:

• Expanded Form I-9 instructions and a revised layout.
• New, optional data fields to collect the employee’s email address and telephone number.
• New data fields to collect the foreign passport number and country of issuance. Only aliens authorized to work in the U.S. who have also recorded their I-94 admission number on Form I-9 will need to provide the foreign passport number and country of issuance.

Public comment on the proposed revisions is open until May 29, 2012. The current version of the Form I-9 expires August 31, 2012. Employers are advised to stay current on changes to the Form I-9, and prepare to update their process when the new version is released.

Ways to Streamline Your I-9 Program
To help alleviate the burden of managing I-9 forms, many employers turn to electronic I-9 systems that are designed to help ensure compliance, eliminate error-prone paper based processes, improve efficiency and streamline manual processes. Learn the nine essential features of an electronic I-9 solution to help streamline your process and reduce the risk of penalties associated with failing to comply with the I-9 regulations.

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