Articles

CLIENT ALERT: New I-9 Use Mandated By Jan 21

Date: January 13, 2017

Clients are reminded that as of January 21, 2017, they must use the new Form I-9 for employment verification purposes.  Failure to use the new form could result in a potential technical violation of the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA), which became law in November 1986.
 
The new form contains a number of additional fields and a set of instructions which, at 15 pages, is more than double that of the prior form.  In addition, USCIS has prepared a Smart Form, which may be accessed online, that should greatly aid in correct and thorough completion of the form.  The new instructions provide much in the way of clarifying information in order to aid employees and employers to complete what has often been called the most difficult short form in the world. 
 
With the near doubling of the fines which may now be imposed for substantive violations of the employment verification process, as well as the hiring of unauthorized workers, ensuring that your business has an effective and accurate I-9 compliance program is now imperative. 
 
For information and questions concerning the new I-9 and immigration compliance information, please contact Peter D. Guattery, 410-347-9431, pguattery@wtplaw.com.
 
WTP will be doing a webinar on the new I-9 and immigration compliance problems in February.  Invitation to follow.