Do you know that the Form I-9 can be completed, signed and retained electronically?

Yes, but unfortunately many employers are still inclined towards manual completion of the same.

Form I-9 (Employment Eligibility Verification) is mandatory for verifying the identity and employment eligibility of the employees. Every US Employer is responsible for the completion and retention of this form for every employee they hire. So, Form I-9 compliance has always been a major concern for them and the rise in the DOL audits have just intensified its prominence. Such prominence has made Employment Eligibility Verification Final Rule come into effect.

This rule states that employers can sign and retain this form electronically. Usage of the electronic form ensures consistency in completing the form, thus reducing the errors and easier retention. Electronic I-9 have many pros over the manual process. But, why are the employers still in a dilemma about switching to it?

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Here are their main concerns in using an Electronic Form I-9:

• Is Electronic I-9 valid?:
  Most of the employers are still not sure about the validity of an electronic Form I-9. But USCIS has actually published the electronic signature and retention of Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification Final Rule in the year 2010. This rule also made modifications to 8 CFR 274a.2 regarding the requirement for audit trails.

• Integrity with ICE standards:
  ‍The main issue with electronic I-9 is to check whether the system you are using comply with the ICE standards or not. Using an electronic I-9 which does not comply with the ICE standards will only lead to compliance failure and huge penalties during audits.

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Here are the 5 Key Features Employers Should Consider Before choosing an Electronic Form I-9 Solution

1. E-Signature:

Choose an efficient solution provider which can capture the Electronic Signature in the Form I-9. The system should capture the name, time and location of the signatory along with the signature.

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2. I-9 completion for Remote Employees:

Completing a Form I-9 for your employee within three days is a difficult task itself, what about completing it for your remote employees? Remote employees cannot search for an authorized representative for completion of their Form I-9s. This can only be done by assigning an Authorized Representative to verify and complete their form.

Make sure the solution selected will guide you in assigning an authorized representative for your remote employees. This will ensure physical verification of supporting documents & completion of Form I-9.

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3. Alerts on the Deadlines & Updates:

Keeping a close eye on the timeline or on the updates of every employee's Form I-9 can be an impossible task for any employer. But, missing a deadline would cost your organization huge penalties. So, a system which can alert you on the deadlines or updates or re-verification will be the right solution.

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4. Audit trails:

Any information related to the Form I-9 such as creating, updating or modifying should be recorded permanently. The record should include the date of access and who accessed it along with the action performed. This will ease up your work of providing the information during a DOL (Department Of Labor) audit or inspection. These audit trails are the main focus points to identify whether the system complies with the standards or not.

But most of the applications are failing to log all the information related to these activities leading to hassle during audits. So, choose the one which will make your organization audit-ready.

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5. Data Security and Document Retention:

All the information entered in the Form I-9 is highly confidential and should ensure protection. The system selected should allow only authorized personnel to access this information.

Also, the supporting documents needed for employee identity and employment eligibility should be properly retained. The Form I-9 and the supporting documents of the employee should be retained for three years from the start date of the employment or for one year after the employee's last date, whichever is the later.

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Lack of a solution which can provide all these features under one platform is making the employer rethink switching to electronic form. Not anymore, OnBlick is here with the perfect Form I-9 solution for your organization. OnBlick allows signing the Form I-9 electronically along with saving the name, date, time and location of the signatory. Now, you can complete the Form I-9s of your remote employee on time by assigning an Authorized Representative to physically verify their documents and sign it.

OnBlick records and retains every action performed on the form I-9 in the activity log. This eliminates all the hassle and provides you the ease of access in presenting the requested information during an audit. OnBlick alerts about the deadlines, expiring documents, re-verification or rehire of the employees. These alerts remind you about the timelines and assure completion of Form I-9 appropriately. With many more such features which integrate with the ICE standards, OnBlick is your reliable Electronic I-9 solution.