The University Record, September 3, 1997
By Jane R. Elgass
Hiring someone new? The process won’t be finalized until INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service) Form I-9 has been completed.
The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, which outlawed the employment of unauthorized aliens, mandates completion of this form to verify the identity and employment eligibility of anyone hired after Nov. 6, 1986.
U.S. citizens, as well as permanent residents and other non-U.S. citizens, must be able to establish their identity and their authorization to work legally in the United States as a condition of employment. The regulation applies to all U-M employees, including temporary, part-time or supplemental instructional staff, and students who are employees.
The I-9 form, which is easy to fill out, must be completed within three business days of the hiring date, or on or before the first day of work if hired for less than three days of work.
Staff who attend New Employee Orientation will have their I-9 forms completed during the program. Departments are encouraged to complete the forms for other new staff and new faculty.
If units have questions or concerns, or if there is no one in a department to handle this paperwork, Human Resources and Affirmative Action Services (HR/AA) will help in the completion of I-9 forms for all faculty and staff, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekdays in the ID Office, Wolverine Tower, an easy bus ride from campus. Assistance in completion of I-9 forms for students is offered by the International Center front desk, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays.
In addition, HR/AA plans to offer a workshop on I-9s in the near future.
Employees must provide documentation establishing their identity and employment eligibility. Acceptable documentation can take many forms, depending on employees’ citizenship status. It may be a single document that establishes both identity and employment eligibility, or two separate documents, one establishing identity and the other eligibility.
The following are acceptable documents for completion of I-9 forms. Employees must be prepared to present either one document from List A or one document from List B and one document from List C.
List A – Documents that establish both identity and employment eligibility: U.S. passport (current or expired), Certificate of U.S. citizenship (INS Form N-560 or N-561), Certificate of Naturalization (INS Form N-550 or N-570), unexpired foreign passport with an unexpired stamp that reads “Processed for I-151. Temporary Evidence of Lawful Admission for permanent residence. Valid until ___. Employment authorized” or has attached Form I-94 bearing the same name as the passport and containing an employment authorization stamp, so long as the period of endorsement has not yet expired and the proposed employment is not in conflict with any restrictions or limitations identified on the Form I-94, Alien Registration Receipt Card with photograph (INS Form I-151 or I-551), unexpired temporary Resident Card (INS Form I-688), unexpired Employment Authorization Card (INS Form I-688A), unexpired reentry Permit (INS Form I-327), unexpired Refugee Travel Document (INS Form I-571) or unexpired Employment Authorization Document issued by the INS that contains a photograph (INS Form I-688B).
List B – Documents that establish identity: For individuals age 18 or older: driver’s license or ID card issued by a state or outlying U.S. possession provided it contains a photograph or information such as name, date of birth, sex, height, eye color and address; ID card issued by federal, state or local government agencies or entities provided it contains a photograph or the information cited above (including U.S. Citizen ID Card (INS Form I-197) and ID Card for use of Resident Citizen in the U.S. (INS Form I-179); school ID card with a photograph; voter registration card; U.S. military card or draft record; military dependent’s card; U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner card; Native American tribal document; driver’s license issued by a Canadian government authority.
For persons under age 18 who are unable to present a document listed above: School record or report card; clinic, doctor or hospital record; day care or nursery school record.
List C – Documents that establish employment eligibility: U.S. social security card issued by the Social Security Administration (other than a card that has printed on its face “NOT VALID FOR EMPLOYMENT”) This must be a card issued by the Social Security Administration; a facsimile, such as a metal or plastic reproduction, is not acceptable. Certification of birth abroad issued by the Department of State (Form FS-545 or Form DS-1350); original or certified copy of a birth certificate issued by a state, county, municipal authority or outlying U.S. possession bearing an official seal; Native American tribal document; U.S. Citizen ID card (INS Form I-197); ID card for use of Resident Citizen in the United States (INS Form I-179) or unexpired employ ment authorization document issues by the INS.
