
Due to many companies moving operations to remote working or working from home, the Department of Homeland Security has issued interim guidelines on remote I-9 verification during this emergency. In normal times, when an employee starts at a company, companies are obligated to completes the I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification. This verification is mandatory for all employees, including U.S. citizens. The procedure involves the employers filling out the I-9 form and verifying in person one or two pieces of government issued identification from the employee to prove the employee’s eligibility.
Under the new emergency guidelines, DHS is allowing the employers to review the identity and employment authorization documents remotely (video, fax, or email) in absence of the employee’s physical presence. When the emergency is over, the employer must physically review the documents in person with the employee present. This accommodation does not apply to employees and companies that are still presently working at the job site. These emergency guidelines are in place for 60 days, or 3 days after the national emergency is over, whichever comes first. The normal timeline for I-9 completion (the form must be completed by the employee’s start date and the document review must be completed within 3 business days of the employee starting) remains in place.
We have provided a number of links with key immigration information related to the Corona Virus.
- Top 10 Covid-19 Immigration Questions
- Implications of Layoffs for employers who have employees on H-1B and/or E-3 Visas
- USCIS announces flexibility for request for evidence (RFE) and Notice of Intent to Deny (NOID)
- Information on Consular closures during Covid-19
- USCIS issues guidance on Remote 1-9 verification during Covid-19
- USCIS office closures due to Covid-19
- Can I apply for Unemployment Insurance Benefits while on a Visa?
- Canada/U.S. Border Closures
- USCIS announces temporary suspension of premium processing
- What can you do if your ESTA is running out?
- Travel Ban for Europe
- Stimulus Bill (All 800 pages)
- Information on Small Business Loans related to the Stimulus package
- USCIS to accept scanned/reproduced signatures instead of “wet” signatures on immigration petitions and forms
- Implications of furlough or termination if you are on a TN visa
- Does the Stimulus Bill impact my immigration status? Is there a public charge concern?
- Understanding the Stimulus Package for Small Businesses and the Paycheck Protection Program
- Small Business Administration COVID-19 Loans
FREE Visa Resources
Click on the buttons below in order to claim your free Visa Guide (E-1, E-2, TN, EB-5, H-1B, L-1, PERM, NIW, EB-1, O-1, E-3), sign up for our free Webinar, join our Facebook Group, or watch our videos.
Set up a Visa or Green Card Consultation
For a dedicated one-on-one consultation with one of our lawyers, click on the button below to schedule your consultation.
This website and blog constitutes attorney advertising. Do not consider anything in this website or blog legal advice and nothing in this website constitutes an attorney-client relationship being formed. Set up a one-hour consultation with us before acting on anything you read here. Past results are no guarantee of future results and prior results do not imply or predict future results. Each case is different and must be judged on its own merits.