I-9 Central

I-9 Central. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

The I-9 form. Some people call it the most complicated and potentially expensive one-page for in the U.S. Even the handbook for employers on the I-9 form is 65 pages long! Now there may be help. Lacy Gray has more.

GRAY: The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA) required employers to verify that all newly-hired employees present "facially valid" documentation verifying the employee's identity and his or her legal authorization to accept employment in the United States. Every employee hired after November 6, 1986 must complete an I-9 form at the time of hire. Bowing to concerns over the complicated one-page for verifying employment eligibility the United States Citizens and Immigration Services announced that it will launch a centralized website this spring to answer employer questions. The I-9 Central website will provide detailed guidance on how to complete the form. In addition to I-9 Central, the USCIS also indicated that it will explore utilizing smart features on their currently available I-9 PDF, which could include help text, drop-down boxes and other interactive tools to help prevent some known errors from occurring.

No timeframes were provided for when these intelligent forms may appear, and it’s expected that USCIS will reach out to employers and other stakeholders first to gather additional feedback.

That’s today’s Fruit Grower Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.