The I-9 paperwork is necessary to remain on top of immigration laws and make sure everyone in your company is legally permitted to work in the United States. If your process already seems to be going well, good! But even the best systems are subject to tweaking. Immigration rules and regulations change with time and it’s your job to optimize your I-9 application to avoid issues down the road.
In this post, we will demonstrate seven strategies to streamline your I-9 for more effective and error-free I-9 processing without breaking any U.S. immigration law.
Tip #1: Don’t Just Write Policies — Deliver Good Training
You don’t only need a robust, transparent I-9 policy, you also need to be sure that your employees know it. When your staff is properly trained, chances of error and compliance are slim. Training doesn’t just consist of developing a policy document, but it also has to be communicated and implemented.
What you need to train on your I-9 process effectively:
- Make Policies Available: Save your I-9 policies in an electronic form for your team to consult on demand. Make sure to have the documents available easily, especially for remote workers.
- Give Continuous Training: Immigration rules are always evolving so offer ongoing training and refreshers to update everyone.
- Questions and Games: By including quizzes and interactive training (gamification) to help engage your team members, quizzes and games can make learning I-9 policies a little more fun, and evaluate your team’s grasp of the material.
- Example to Follow: Show your leadership in the I-9 process by modeling the policies yourself. This is a tremendous model for your team.
- Explain Why You Need It: Let your employees know why compliance matters, not only to the company but also to avoid heavy fines and penalties.
Practice #2: Work E-Verify Into Your I-9 Program
E-Verify is an online service operated by the Social Security Administration (SSA) and U.S. USCIS) that confirms a worker’s ability to work in the United States based on a comparison of data from the I-9 form with data from SSA or DHS.
E-Verify is required for certain employers (regardless of the type of business and location), and highly recommended for any company looking to strengthen their I-9 compliance. It allows you to check that workers are qualified to work in the United States and helps to add another layer of verification to your operation. You can consult with your lawyer or immigration attorney to see if E-Verify is needed for your company.
Best Practice #3: Set Automated Task Reminders
The biggest I-9 compliance issue is keeping track of deadlines and steps. Reminders could be automated to do this quickly and efficiently. For instance, you can schedule automatic reminders to:
- Update Visa Renewals: Automatic reminders will remind you about any important work visa update, including whether it’s time to amend your employees’ I-9 forms.
- Timely Form Completion: New hires need to complete I-9 forms on time due to the “Thursday Rule” (which is when employers are required to complete Section 2 of the I-9 form three business days after the date the employee was hired).
- Track Continuous Compliance: Reminders can also be used to remind employees of periodic checks, like Section 3 completion when the employees change their work status.
That automation means nothing gets overlooked so you can keep your legal obligations in check.
Best Practice #4: Be a Frequent Self-Auditor
It is very important to check in on yourself frequently to make sure your I-9 process is running efficiently. By performing a self-audit, you can look over your I-9s and related documents to find mistakes, contradictions, or information gaps before they become big problems.
Your audits should be done at intervals based on factors such as the size of your business and turnover. For instance, bigger organizations or firms that have lots of turnover should conduct more frequent audits. By finding and correcting the issues before they happen, you will save time, mitigate risk, and get fewer fines.
Best Practice #5: Technology For Increased Compliance and Efficiency
The best efficiency and compliance tool is digitalizing your I-9 process. Automation can automate administrative work, eradicate human error, and make important documents easy to store, track, and archive.
Here’s how technology can help your I-9 application go smoother:
- Automated Counting: Most I-9 compliance software will track deadlines for you, such as when the forms must be completed or renewed.
- Security Documents: Digital storage options will make sure the I-9 documents and forms are accessible and safely kept.
- Audit Trails: Technology will generate an audit trail, so you can see when changes, updates, and communications are made to I-9 forms.
- Processing faster: With digital forms, your employees’ data can be processed faster, eliminating delays and paperwork.
- Utilizing technology allows for a more seamless process and gives a defensible framework when government audit occurs.
Best Practice #6: Develop a Compliance Monitoring Program
And once you have filled out your I-9s, that’s not the end of the game. A compliance monitoring system helps you remain on top of ongoing I-9 reporting requirements and keeps your files current. Keeping track of them often means you’ll avoid a violation earlier on.
A compliance program includes:
- Regular Audits: Even after onboarding, you still need to check your I-9 documents regularly for accuracy.
- Refresh Information: Maintain the information of your employees and update it if there are any changes in employee records, like name change, work authorization, or visa status.
- Compliance Reviews: Take the time to check on your policies and processes on a regular basis to make sure they’re still compliant with the latest immigration laws and best practices.
- Keep track of compliance to avoid fines and legal issues later on.
Rule #7: Hire Legal and Compliance Experts
Complying with the I-9 is not a simple task, particularly given the ever-changing immigration laws. This is why you should always have legal counsel or compliance specialists on your side to make sure your process is always updated and in compliance with current laws.
An immigration lawyer or compliance specialist can:
- Advisory Services From Experts: Keep you up to date with evolving regulations and rules.
- Assistance during Audits: If you’re ever under audit or inspected by the government, legal professionals can assist you and keep you in good shape.
- Solve Issues Fast: They can also help to fix any grammatical errors or inconsistencies that may arise with your I-9 forms.
When you get your I-9 right, it’s not just about completing the paperwork as per law, but having it work smoothly, efficiently, and without errors for your business and your employees. Implementing these 7 best practices will make your I-9 management system compliant, accurate, and effective. Stay on top of it, make the technology work for you, and never miss updates in immigration to help safeguard your business and employees.
