Data Facts Background Screening Blog

This article was written by Dawn Lurie and originally published on the Seyfarth "Big Immigration Law Blog". The entire original article can be viewed here. 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that employers have an additional 60-day extension to the flexibilities in rules related to Form I-9 completion. This extension relates to the relaxation of the requirement to defer the in-person, physical inspection of new hires’ identity and employment eligibility documentation.

The Coronavirus pandemic hit just about every facet of business hard, and the hiring process didn't escape. Regulations set beforehand are not realistic to enforce during the lock down and social distancing. A recent Data Facts blog post discussed DHS relaxing I-9 requirements due to COVID-19, allowing job candidates to complete I-9 forms remotely. 

Now the United States Citizenship Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that, as of May 1, 2020, 

Information about this change was originally posted on SHRM.org and can be viewed here.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it will defer the requirements for employers to review Form I-9 documents in-person with new employees. The change applies to employers and workplaces that are operating completely remotely.

Due to COVID-19, employers will not be required to review the employee's identity and employment authorization documents in the employee's physical presence.