Auditing our I-9 Forms

HR Beginner

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 10-26-02 AT 09:50PM (CST)[/font][p]What do I do when I find I-9 forms that are completed improperly during an internal audit to check for compliance?

Examples:
1) Things written or signed in wrong places; then "arrows" drawn
2) Section 1 completed by someone other than employee without completing the preparer certification section
3) Incorrect abbreviations used
4) Section 3 used to update name changes due to marriage and/or expired driver's licenses (this is incorrect, right?)

Would it be best to have the employee complete a brand new I-9 form? I'm concerned because the form is required to be done on the 1st day of employment. Would I then just keep the "wrong" one with the corrected one to show we were trying to make it "right"?

Also, two related questions:

1) The I-9 Handbook for Employers states you cannot accept a Social Security card that has "Not Valid for Employment" printed on it. I have some cards that have "Not for Identification" printed on them. Is that the same thing?

2) Does an employer that uses the on-line, "fill-in" I-9 form and completes Section 1 for the employee, do they also need to complete the preparer certification section?

Ruskanen

The INS audited us in January. As I was preparing our paperwork, our lawyer went over it to catch any errors before we turned it in. We corrected the things we could. For example, if I had originally reviewed the I-9 and I made an error, I corrected. He said arrows to correct information in wrong spaces were fine as long as the person who corrected it initialed it. But, if the errors were made by our previous HR Manager who is no longer with the company, or if the error was too difficult to correct, we had the employee fill out a new I-9 and stapled the two together. Keep both of them in a file other than the employee's personnel file.

INS was very pleased with the state of our paperwork. And I think they are trying to be a kindler, gentler INS. They will be tickled pink that you took such proactive steps to get your paperwork in order, should they ever knock on your door.

If a Social Security card says, "Not valid for employment authorization" I usually tell new hires that I need a form of ID that shows they are eligible for employment, and then they usually produce a Permanent Resident Alien Card or an Employment Authorization card. I've never seen a card that says, "Not for Identification" on it, but since there is no picture or physical characteristics of the person printed on the card, it would be impossible to use to verify the person's identity.

I've never even heard of the on-line "fill in" I-9 form.

I hope this was helpful.