Section 1. Employee Information and Attestation
In Section 1 of the Form I-9 the employee must attest to their employment authorization and present acceptable documents evidencing identity and employment authorization to UNL's HR professional no later than the first day of their employment.
- The UNL HR professional cannot type/write Section 1 for the employee or make any changes to it. Only the employee (with or without a preparer or translator's assistance) may enter information in Section 1 fields.
- If the employee uses a Preparer or Translator to help them complete Section 1, the Preparer/Translator must complete Form I-9 Supplement A, which is on page 3 of Form I-9. See detailed instructions for Supplement A below.
- The employee must provide their current legal name, complete address, and date of birth. If other fields do not apply, they may leave them blank.
- When completing the name fields, the employee must enter their current legal name and any last names they previously used, including any hyphens or punctuation. If they only have one name, they must enter it in the Last Name field and then enter “Unknown” in the First Name field.
- UNL uses E-Verify therefore employees must provide their Social Security number (SSN). For Nonresident Alien (NRA) employees who have applied for but not yet received their SSN, see the NRAs Without a Social Security Number section of the NRA Paperwork manual.
- The email address and phone number fields are optional, however when provided, will allow the employee to receive notifications associated with their E-Verify case.
Section 2. Employer Review and Verification
Although the employee completes Section 1, employers are responsible for ensuring it was completed properly, but they cannot make changes to it. If the HR professional finds any errors or missing information, they must have the employee correct the error, and initial and date their correction (if completing the form on paper) or void the electronic I-9 and send them a new Form I-9 (if completing via DocuSign).
The HR professional must check that the employee:
- Completed Section 1 by the first day of work for pay following the Instructions for Form I-9 guidance.
- If the employee selects citizen or immigration status 3 (A lawful permanent resident) or 4 (A noncitizen authorized to work until), the employee must complete the additional required fields providing appropriate document numbers that support those status selections.
- Signed the form and entered the current date (the date they completed Section 1).
Document Verification
The HR professional must complete Section 2 of the Form I-9 by examining physically or via live video document verification the evidence of the employee's identity and employment authorization within three business days after the employee's first day of employment. For example, if an employee begins employment on Monday, you must review the employee's documentation and complete Section 2 on or before the Thursday of that week. However, if the individual will work for less than three business days, Section 2 must be completed no later than the first day of employment.
As evidence, employees may provide one document from List A or a combination of one document from List B and one document from List C from the list of acceptable documents. Examples of many of the documents can be found in the Handbook for Employers(M-274). In certain cases, the employee may present an acceptable receipt for List A, B, or C documentation. For more information on receipts, refer to the List of Acceptable Documentsand the M-274.
Because UNL is an E-Verify participant, photocopies of the following must be retained with an employee’s Form I-9:
- U.S. passport
- U.S. passport card
- Form I-551, Permanent Resident Card
- Form I-766, Employment Authorization Document
UNL’s HR professional (employer’s authorized representative):
- Must verify that the document(s) presented by the employee are unexpired and reasonably appear to be genuine and related to the person presenting them.
- Cannot specify which documentation the employee may present.
- May use common abbreviations for states, document titles, or issuing authorities. Refer to the Handbook for Employers (M-274) for abbreviation suggestions.
- Must use the Additional Information field to record any additional information required to complete Section 2, or any updates that are necessary once Section 2 is complete (initial and date each additional notation). Such notations include, but are not limited to:
- Those required by the Department of Homeland Securty (DHS), such as extensions of employment authorization or a document's expiration date.
- Replacement document information if a receipt was previously presented.
- Additional documentation that may be presented by certain nonimmigrant employees.
- Optional information, such as termination dates, form retention dates, and E-Verify case numbers.
- Select the box in the Additional Information area if an alternate procedure (i.e., live video interaction) for document examination was used.
- Complete all applicable fields in the Employer Certification area, sign, and date where indicated.
- Enter Last Name, First Name, and Title, then UNL’s business information. The person who examines the documents must be the same person who completes and signs Section 2.
- Ensure that the employee’s "First Day of Employment" matches their hiring date.
List A documentation (shows both identity and employment authorization)
- Enter the required information from the List A documentation in the first set of document entry fields in the List A column. Some List A documentation consists of a combination of documents that must be presented together to be considered acceptable List A documentation. If the employee presents a combination of documents for List A, use the second and third sets of document entry fields in the List A column. Use the Additional Information space, as necessary, for additional documents. When entering document information in this space, ensure you record all available document information, such as the document title, issuing authority, document number and expiration date.
- If an employee presents acceptable List A documentation, do not ask the employee to present List B and List C documentation.
List B documentation (shows identity only) and List C documentation (shows employment authorization only)
- An unsigned social security card is a valid document. A signature on the card is not required for the card to be valid. You may accept an unsigned Social Security card if the card reasonably appears to be genuine and to relate to the person presenting it.
- UNL participates in E-Verify, therefore, List B documents must contain a photograph (this applies to individuals under the age of 18 and individuals with disabilities).
- For a Non-Resident Alien (NRA), a restricted social security card is not a valid List C document.