The Department of Homeland Security recently announced it planned to end the temporary flexibility around in-person requirements for I-9 Verifications. For over three years, DHS allowed employers to onboard New Hires entirely remotely, without inspecting their identification documents in person.
But, with the US recently ending its COVID-19 public health emergency, DHS is about to end the pause, essentially hitting play on standard I-9 requirements.
This means that, starting July 30, employers will once again be required to complete Section 2 of Form I-9 in person with the New Hire.
This reversion to standard policy has many employers scrambling to rebuild onboarding systems in the remote era. It also has them asking, why did DHS start requiring in-person I-9 Verifications again?
The In-Person Requirement For I-9 Was Always Coming Back
When DHS paused the in-person requirement, it was with good reason. Recall that in March 2020, Tom Hanks had just tested positive, Italy was in the thick of a massive public health emergency, and the NBA season was paused—they weren’t even in the bubble yet.
It was in this climate that DHS, out of caution and deference to the public health emergency, opted to temporarily allow companies to onboard employees remotely, respecting social distancing in a pre-vaccine era.
But this temporary flexibility never represented a shift in policy. DHS requires in-person verification for one very simple reason: it is harder to fake documents like drivers’ licenses, passports, and social security cards when they can be physically inspected. In the end, this is a question of security, not convenience.
The purpose of the I-9 is to ensure that New Hires are authorized to work in the United States, which depends on their immigration and naturalization status. This status is demonstrated by identifying documents like green cards, licenses, and social security cards among others.
Those documents are much easier to forge when they need not pass an in-person smell test, so to speak. This limits the potential for fraud and misrepresentation.
Considering that employers are responsible for improper I-9s, the in-person policy actually helps employers, mandating that they take an approach that limits their risk.
TrendSource Remote I-9 Verifications
TrendSource Remote I-9 Verifications helps employers take advantage of the in-person requirement’s benefits while maintaining the convenience of remote verifications. By pairing a local Field Agent with New Hires, TrendSource can help companies rapidly complete I-9 Verifications.
Learn how Remote I-9 Verifications work and check out how a New Hire experiences an I-9 Verification.
Though people are asking themselves why DHS changed the I-9 -policy, the better question is how they plan to adapt to the (re)new(ed) normal.
TrendSource I-9 Verifications are the clear answer.
