Now’s the time to do a last-minute check on your I-9 procedures, before the February 2 deadline.

The first Monday in February is the day you’ll have to complete a new, revised I-9 form for all new hires and for reverification of some employees who have temporary work authorization. Pay special attention to three procedures associated with the new form:

• All documents presented during the verification process will now have to be unexpired. Previously, certain expired documents, such as a U.S. passport,  were acceptable.
• There’s a change in the acceptable “List A” identity and employment authorization documentation. You can no longer accept Form I-688, Temporary Resident Card; Form I-688A, Employment Authorization Card; or Form I-688B, Employment Authorization Card. They will all be obsolete on February 2.
• Added to the acceptable documentation for “List A” are: foreign passports containing certain machine-readable immigrant visas and passports from the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands if presented with an I-94 or I-94A arrival/departure record.

Starting February 2, the new I-9 form should be available at  www.uscis.gov/files/form/I-9.pdf. Or you can call the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services at 1-800-375-5283.

Note: The new form should not be used for existing employees. It must be used only for new hires and for reverification of current employees who only have temporary work authorization upon expiration of that authorization.