With recent changes from DHS to Employment Eligibility Verification policy, companies are rightly trying to figure out how to verify I-9 documents for remote employees who often live far from company headquarters.
Previously, companies could onboard remote employees remotely. They could accomplish this by asking New Hires to present their necessary identification documents in a video conference through a platform like Zoom or FaceTime.
This came after DHS temporarily paused the in-person requirement. But when DHS removed this temporary pause, it once again began requiring employers to verify New Hire’s documents in person.
Employers Have No Choice About In-Person Verification but They Do Have Options
Employers cannot avoid the in-person requirement for I-9 Verification. If they want to be in compliance with federal regulations, they must find a way to examine employees identification documents in person. They have no choice in the matter.
In doing this, however, they have a couple of options.
Employers can fly in their remote employees to a city in which the company has an office. For huge companies with massive national footprints, this is feasible from an economic and logistical perspective. But for companies with one central location and remote employees scattered around the country, this option could prove quite costly and unpractical.
Imagine every time a company onboards a new employee, they must fly that employee into their HQ, paying for transportation and accommodation, just to inspect a couple pieces of paper in person.
TrendSource Remote I-9 Verifications Are the Better In-Person Option
Employers do have another option when it comes to verifying I-9 documents for remote employees however: TrendSource Remote I-9 Verifications, which fulfill the in-person requirement while allowing employer and employee to stay right where they are.
By harnessing the power of its proprietary nationwide database, TrendSource rapidly matches a client’s New Hire with a local Field Agent—together, they complete section 2 of Form I-9 in person. As Authorized Representatives, TrendSource Field Agents fulfill a company’s in-person compliance obligations.
By outsourcing I-9 Verifications for remote employees, employers can save on the cost and inconvenience of brining new remote hires into company HQ.
Check out our step-by-step guide on how TrendSource Remote I-9 Verifications work, and also a detailed examination of how New Hires experience TrendSource Remote I-9 Verifications.
Companies are rightly asking themselves how to verify I-9 documents for remote employees. While they have no choice but to fulfill the in-person requirement, they do have options. One is the old-fashioned way—costly and impractical.
TrendSource Remote I-9 Verifications are the clear choice when companies need to verify I-9 documents for remote employees.
