I-9 Information for Departments and Hiring Managers

General I-9 Information

The I-9 Employment Eligibility Form is used to verify the identity and employment authorization of individuals hired for employment in the United States. All employees hired by U.S. employers* after November 6, 1986 must have a Form I-9 completed to verify both employment eligibility and identity. If the employee fails to complete the I-9 form within 3 business day of their first day of employment they must to be terminated! No exceptions!

* Please note that if the employee is performing the work entirely in a foreign country, a Form I-9 does not have to be completed. Volunteer employees (those working for no pay) do not have to complete an I-9 form. 

Employer Responsibilities

Verify the identity and employment authorization of each person hired after Nov. 6, 1986. For employment in the Commonwealth of the Mariana Islands (CNMI), this verification requirement applies to persons hired after Nov. 27, 2009. Complete and retain a Form I-9 for each em­ployee required to complete the form.

Employers must not:

Discriminate against individu­als on the basis of national origin, citizenship, or immigration status.
Hire, recruit for a fee, or refer for a fee aliens he or she knows to be unauthorized to work in the United States.

Employers who violate the law may be subject to:

1. civil fines
2. criminal penalties (when there is a pattern or practice of violations)
3. debarment from government contracts
4. a court order requiring the payment of back pay to the individual discriminated against
5. a court order requiring the employer to hire the individual discriminated against

I-9 Process for New Hires

All new hires MUST complete an I-9 on their first day of employment. If the new hire does not have the original documents for the I-9 on the first day of employment they have 3 business days to submit documents that verify identity and work authorization (see List of Acceptable Documents for more details). The I-9 form can be completed after a job offer has been made and accepted by the employee.

Training sessions are considered worked hours and must be paid, so the I-9 must be completed before the employee attended any training session. Any student who receives payment for hours worked needs to file an I-9, even if they participate in Work Study. No matter how many hours are worked, the employee must complete hire paperwork, including I-9 form. If an employee fails to complete the I-9 form in a timely manner they will be taken off payroll. 

Remote Hires

Any employee who is hired by Georgetown University must file an I-9 form, even if they are working outside of the DC area. If an employee is unable to complete the I-9 in person they will need to file the form remotely. The hiring department will need to send the employee the Remote Hire Notice Form. It is the hiring department’s responsibility to complete the Employee Information and Georgetown University Hiring Department Information section of the Remote Hire Notice Form. The employee will then need to take a copy of the I-9 and their original documents to a notary, Human Resources professional or lawyer to complete the I-9 form. 

If an employee is unable to locate a notary, Human Resources professional or lawyer to complete the I-9 form the I-9 office can locate a HR representative at a nearby college or university. If an employee would like to utilize this option they would need to contact our office at I-9@georgetown.edu.  In the past we have partnered with schools such as Hood College, the University of Maryland, and George Mason University. 

The completed I-9 form, Remote Hire Notice Form and copies of the original documents presented will then be mailed back to the Department of Human Resources. Even when completed remotely the I-9 form must still be completed within the 3 business day deadline to be compliance with federal law.

Remote I-9 Instructions and I-9

Student Employees

Because many of our students are not from the DC Metro Area it is not uncommon for them to forget or not have their original documents with them. However they will still need to present original documents to complete the I-9 form. There a three options for those in this situation:

1. Have their original documents mailed to them
2. Request a new copy of their Social Security Card or U.S. Passport. The receipt can be used to complete the I-9 form. They employee will then have 90 days from their first day of employment to present the new document and complete the I-9 form.
3. They can have a parent or legal guardian take their original documents to a notary, Human Resources professional or lawyer to complete Section 2 of the I-9 remotely. This will still need to be done within the 3 business day deadline. 

Rehires

A rehired employee will need to file a new I-9 if:

1. The original I-9 filed with Georgetown University is over 3 years old at the time of rehire
2. We don’t have a valid I-9 on file
3. Their Employment Authorization has expired. 

Please contact the I-9 analyst to verify if the employee has a valid I-9 on file. 

Reverification

Section 3 of the I-9 form can be completed when:

1. If employee is rehired within 3 years of the date the I-9 form was originally completed.
2. Work Authorization documents originally presented have expired.
3. Exceptions are US citizens, Non-citizen nationals of the US, Lawful permanent residents, Refugees, Asylees
4. If employee changed legal name.
5. They must present documents that show the name change, such as marriage certificate or new SSN card.

Transfers

If there is no break in employment and the employee is being transferred to a new department within Georgetown University they will not have to file a new I-9 form. Please contact the I-9 analyst to verify they have a valid I-9 on file. 

Please note if the employee was hired before the implementation of GMS they may not have a valid I-9 on file. Contact the I-9 analyst; she will assist you in finding the original I-9.

GMS and Onboarding

Once the employee’s GMS profile is activated the I-9 will and personal information such as social security number, license and other information will be added to their GMS profile. The employee can view their I-9 and other hire documents under the Personal tab in the Documents section. GMS also allows the University to track the expiration date of visas, passports and other identifying documents. The I-9 analyst or an authorized representative can verify the new documents and upload the new information to GMS.

Audits and Reports

If you are hiring a large amount of people or would like to know if your department is missing any I-9 you can send a list to the I-9 analyst. Be sure to include employee name, Net ID and hire date. They I-9 analyst will work with your department to recover any missing I-9 and make sure that employees complete their I-9s in a timely manner.

I-9 Training

To sign up for our monthly I-9 training click here. If you are unable to attend a training session and would like to set up a time to meet with the I-9 analyst please email i-9@georgetown.edu.