Employers may continue to use the most recent Form I-9 until May 31, 2027, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said last week, extending the document’s expiration date.
Human resources professionals must ensure they’re using the form with an Aug. 1, 2023, edition date, according to the agency. Newly downloaded forms will bear the new expiration date but employers may — for now — continue using any previously downloaded or printed forms bearing the previous July 31, 2026, expiration date.
“Either form may be used until its respective expiration date,” USCIS said in a statement. However, “[e]mployers are encouraged to update their electronic Forms I-9 systems to use the [2027] expiration date as soon as possible and must do so no later than July 31, 2026,” it said.
Form I-9 aims to verify a worker’s identity and eligibility to work in the U.S. All employers, including colleges, must have a Form I-9 for each employee, and it must be completed within a small window of their start date.