U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is hosting a series of interactive, educational webinars about the Form I-9 and is specifically inviting Notaries to listen in and ask questions. The first webinar is scheduled for February 18 at 1 p.m. ET, with more scheduled through August 2016. (See below for login details and the rest of the schedule.)
In advance of the webinars, the Notary Bulletin interviewed Francine L. Hill, Acting Chief of the Outreach Branch, Verification Division of the USCIS, about the series and some of the issues Notaries encounter with Form I-9 requests.
What topics will the webinars cover?
The webinar platform will be a two-way discussion covering various topics including how to complete, store and retain Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification.
Participants will also receive an overview about E-Verify, the Internet-based system that compares information from an employee's Form I-9 to data from U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration records to confirm employment eligibility.
What is a Form I-9?
Employers are required by law to attest under penalty of perjury on Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, that all of their newly hired employees are authorized to work in the U.S. by verifying their identity and employment eligibility.
Who can an employer designate as an authorized representative?
Employers may designate an authorized representative to complete Forms I-9 on their behalf. Authorized representatives can include personnel officers, foremen, agents and Notaries Public.
When an employer designates a Notary Public to complete its Forms I-9, the Notary Public does not act as a Notary, but must perform the same required actions with regard to completing Form I-9 as any authorized representative.
In this capacity, the Notary Public should not provide a Notary seal on Form I-9 and should indicate “authorized representative” in the title block.
What should the employer or authorized representative do to complete Form I-9?
The employer or its authorized representative must ensure that the employee has completed Section 1 properly and on time.
When completing Section 2, the employer or its authorized representative must physically examine each original document presented by the employee from the Lists of Acceptable Documents to determine if it reasonably appears to be genuine and relates to the employee presenting it. Reviewing or examining documents via webcam is not permissible.
The person who examines the documents must be physically present with the employee during examination of the document and must be the same person who signs Section 2. This person must record the document title, issuing authority, document number and expiration date (if any) of each document.
The employer or authorized representative must provide his or her name and title, record the employer’s business name and address, and sign and date the attestation on the same date that Section 2 is completed. The employer or its authorized representative must complete Section 2 no later than three business days after the employee’s first day of employment.
What is the goal of the Form I-9 and E-Verify webinar series?
Every employer is required to complete a Form I-9 for all new hires. We hope the Form I-9 webinar series will increase awareness about how Notaries should properly complete the form as authorized representatives, answer questions from the Notary Public community and give information on free resources to help employees and employers — including their authorized representatives — know their rights and responsibilities during the employment eligibility verification process.
The E-Verify webinar series will demonstrate how fast and easy it is to use E-Verify, the free service, to electronically confirm information from Form I-9. E-Verify is the best way employers can ensure a legal workforce.
How many employers use E-Verify?
E-Verify is a voluntary program with over 600,000 employers representing more than 2 million hiring sites nationwide. The latest E-Verify customer satisfaction survey score continues to grow and demonstrates that our customers enjoy using the program.
What resources are available on these topics?
USCIS has a number of resources available to employers and their authorized representative:
Employer Hotline: (888) 464-4218
Employee Hotline: (888) 897-7781
Form I-9 E-Mail: I-9Central@dhs.gov
E-Verify E-Mail: E-Verify@dhs.gov
Form I-9 Website: www.uscis.gov/I-9Central
E-Verify Website: www.dhs.gov/E-Verify
How do I participate in one of the webinars?
Approximately 15 minutes prior to the start of a session, login to the link provided for the NNA and dial, toll free, to (866) 928-2008 and enter code 998957#.
Here is the full schedule of I-9 webinars and their subjects:
Feb 18 1:00 ET Form I-9
Mar 17 12:00 ET Form I-9
May 19 2:00 ET Form I-9
Jun 16 12:00 ET Form I-9
Aug 18 2:00 ET Form I-9
Participants can chat their questions during each session as questions will be addressed the last 15 minutes.
In addition, the USCIS has scheduled two, 30-minute webinars on E-Verify:
Apr 21 1:00ET E-Verify
Jul 21 1:00ET E-Verify
Michael Lewis is Managing Editor of member publications for the National Notary Association.
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