Last month, DHS paused the temporary flexibility it instituted during the national COVID health emergency. For over three years, companies were permitted to onboard employees remotely, inspecting their identification documents over video conference platforms like Zoom, Teams, and even FaceTime to complete Section 2 of Form I-9.
But, as DHS recently announced, the era of in-person requirements has returned and will remain the permanent state for Form I-9 moving forward. The pause proved to be just that, a brief suspension of policy in the face of a national emergency.
But this change in policy understandably has employers asking: What are the in-person requirements for I-9 Verifications?
The answer is that Section 2 must now be completed in-person with a member of the employer’s HR team or an Authorized Representative. This is to ensure that all documents presented, or employment eligibility verification are authentic.
In-Person Onboarding of Remote Employees is Expensive and Impractical
With the return of in-person requirements for Section 2, employers who began hiring remotely face an uninviting prospect—the sudden need to bring remote employees into company HQ to complete Section 2. Between airfare and accommodation, this is costly and adds yet another rote task to a company’s onboarding procedures and to HR’s already full plate.
There is an alternative, however. Since DHS allows Authorized Representatives to fulfill the in-person requirements for Section 2, companies can outsource I-9 Verifications for their New Hires.
Outsourcing I-9 Verifications unburdens HR teams and saves companies the cost and logistical strain of bringing their New Hires into company HQ.
TrendSource I-9 Verifications Fulfill the In-Person Requirements
TrendSource long ago perfected Remote I-9 Verifications, well before the temporary suspension of the in-person requirement. Now that it is business as usual at DHS, it is back to business at TrendSource.
TrendSource Remote I-9 Verifications leverage TrendSource’s proprietary, nationwide Field Agent database, quickly pairing New Hires with local Field Agents to complete Section 2 together. As Authorized Representatives, the meeting fulfills DHS in-person requirements.
Check out a quick step-by-step guide on how TrendSource Remote I-9 Verifications work, and also a deep dive on how New Hires experience TrendSource Remote I-9 Verifications.
They are rapid, they are reliable, and TrendSource Remote I-9 Verifications are also available to order online.
