Completing a Form I-9 is likely one of the most routine administrative tasks that an HR professional handles. After all, every time a new employee is hired, or when an employee’s employment authorization or documentation of employment authorization has expired, another Form I-9 must be completed. While it may be easy to get in a routine with completing these forms, there are a few mistakes that are commonly made, but easy to avoid.

The I-9 and E-Verify are used to help employers in determining an employee’s eligibility to work in the U.S. A number of errors and mistakes can occur with E-Verify and the I-9 form that employers should avoid in order to stay compliant. Here is a summary of some common mistakes employers make with the I-9 form and E-Verify.

The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 forbids employers from "knowingly hiring illegal workers." Employers must comply with this law by verifying the eligibility of prospective employees to work in the U.S by gathering information on the I-9 form. One way to do this is by using E-Verify, an electronic way of verifying employment eligibility based on U.S. requirements.

New I-9 Form

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has released a revised Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 Form which contains many improvements including new fields, reformatting, and clearer instructions for 2013. Employers should begin using this I-9 form (effective date: March 8, 2013), however previous versions of the form may be used until May 7, 2013.