[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 141 (Tuesday, July 25, 2023)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 47749-47754]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-15533]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

8 CFR Part 274a

[DHS Docket No. ICEB-2021-0010]
RIN 1653-AA86


Optional Alternative 1 to the Physical Document Examination 
Associated With Employment Eligibility Verification (Form I-9)

AGENCY: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of 
Homeland Security.

ACTION: Authorization of alternative procedure.

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SUMMARY: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is announcing the 
authorization of an optional alternative procedure to the in-person 
physical examination of the documentation presented by individuals 
seeking to establish identity and employment authorization for the 
purpose of completing the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification 
(Form I-9).

DATES: The alternative procedure is available beginning on August 1, 
2023.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sharon Hageman, Deputy Assistant 
Director, Office of Regulatory Affairs and Policy, U.S. Immigration and 
Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security, 500 12th Street 
SW, Washington, DC 20536. Telephone 202-732-6960 (not a toll-free 
number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background and Purpose

A. Final Rule

    This action accompanies a DHS final rule, Optional Alternatives to 
the Physical Document Examination Associated with Employment 
Eligibility Verification (Form I-9), that appears in this edition of 
the Federal Register. Under the rule, the Secretary of Homeland 
Security (the Secretary) may, as an optional alternative to the in-
person physical document examination (physical examination) method 
employers have followed as part of the Form I-9 process set forth in 
current regulations, authorize alternative documentation examination 
procedures.

[[Page 47750]]

The Secretary may authorize alternative documentation examination 
procedures with respect to some or all employers as part of a pilot 
program, or upon a determination that such procedures offer an 
equivalent level of security, or as a temporary measure to address a 
public health emergency declared by the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services (pursuant to Section 319 of the Public Health Service Act) or 
a national emergency declared by the President (pursuant to Sections 
201 and 301 of the National Emergencies Act). Consistent with that rule 
and following consideration of the public comments received on the 
notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that preceded issuance of the 
final rule, this notice introduces the parameters of an alternative 
procedure to complete the Form I-9.\1\
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    \1\ This notice incorporates the statement of basis and purpose 
and discussion of public comments contained in the accompanying 
rule.
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B. Form I-9 Physical Examination Requirements

    Separate from the Form I-9 flexibilities that were announced by DHS 
during the COVID-19 national emergency,\2\ current regulations for the 
Form I-9 require that, within three business days after the first day 
of employment (i.e., the first day of work in exchange for wages or 
other remuneration), employers must physically examine the 
documentation presented by new employees from the Lists of Acceptable 
Documents (``Form I-9 documents''),\3\ or an acceptable receipt,\4\ to 
ensure that the documentation presented reasonably appears to be 
genuine and to relate to the individual who presents it. See 8 CFR 
274a.2(b)(1)(ii)(A), (b)(1)(vi). Employers must then complete Section 
2, ``Employer Review and Verification,'' of the Form I-9. See 8 CFR 
274a.2(b)(1)(ii)(B). If reverification is required, the employee or 
referred individual must present a document that shows continued 
employment authorization or a new grant of employment authorization. 
See 8 CFR 274a.2(b)(1)(vii). If the employer rehires an individual for 
whom it previously completed the Form I-9 and complied with the 
corresponding verification requirements, the employer may inspect the 
original Form I-9. See 8 CFR 274a.2(c). If the rehired employee's 
employment authorization, as noted on the original Form I-9, is expired 
when the individual is rehired, the employer must conduct 
reverification. See 8 CFR 274a.2(c). Employers cannot discriminate 
against employees based on citizenship, immigration status, or national 
origin during the Form I-9 process. See, e.g., 8 U.S.C. 1324b.
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    \2\ The last announcement, issued on October 11, 2022, extended 
the Form I-9 flexibilities first announced in March 2020 until July 
31, 2023.
    \3\ The Lists of Acceptable Documents is part of Form I-9 at 
https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/i-9-paper-version.pdf (last visited on June 1, 2023).
    \4\ Occasionally, employees may present a ``receipt'' in place 
of a List A, B, or C document. An acceptable receipt is valid for a 
specified period of time so an employer can complete the Form I-9. 
Employers cannot accept receipts if employment will last less than 
three days. An acceptable receipt may be a receipt for the 
application to replace a List A, B, or C document that was lost, 
stolen, or damaged; the arrival portion of Form I-94 (Arrival/
Departure Record) with a temporary Form I-551 stamp and a photograph 
of the individual; the departure portion of Form I-94 (Arrival/
Departure Record) with an unexpired refugee admission stamp; or an 
admission code of ``RE.'' See USCIS, Handbook for Employers, M-274, 
available at https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-resources/
handbook-for-employers-m-274/40-completing-section-2-of-form-i-9/43-
acceptable-receipts (last visited May 24, 2023).
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    Currently, employers who physically examine the documentation 
presented by new employees may choose to make and retain copies or 
scans of the documentation presented by employees for the purpose of 
completing the Form I-9. However, employers that use E-Verify must make 
and retain copies of documentation presented by employees for List A of 
the Form I-9. If copies of an employee's Form I-9 documents are 
retained for reasons unrelated to E-Verify requirements, they must be 
retained for all employees, regardless of actual or perceived national 
origin, citizenship, or immigration status, or the employer may risk 
violating anti-discrimination laws.\5\ Copies or electronic images of 
documents must be retrievable, consistent with DHS's standards on 
electronic retention, documentation, security, and electronic 
signatures for employers and employees, as specified in 8 CFR 
274a.2(b)(3). Copies or electronic images of the employee's Form I-9 
documents must be retained with the corresponding Form I-9 or with the 
employee's records according to the electronic records retention 
standards specified in 8 CFR 274a.2(b)(3) and be made available at the 
time of a Form I-9 audit by DHS.
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    \5\ See Handbook for Employers M-274, section 9.2 Retaining 
Copies of Form I-9 Documents, available at https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/handbook-for-employers-m-274/90-retaining-form-i-9/92-
retaining-copies-of-form-i-9-documents (last visited May 26, 2023).
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    DHS provides instructions and guidance to employers on how to 
complete the Form I-9 in the Form I-9 instructions and in other related 
guidance on the I-9 Central website, including additional guidance in 
the M-274, Handbook for Employers.\6\
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    \6\ Available at https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central (last visited 
May 24, 2023).
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II. Core Components of the Alternative Procedure for Document 
Examination

    Under applicable regulations, employers or their authorized 
representatives must physically examine each original document from the 
employee (unless alternative procedures under 8 CFR 274a.2(b)(1)(ix) 
apply) to determine that the documentation reasonably appears to be 
genuine and to relate to the person presenting it. See 8 CFR 
274a.2(b)(1)(ii)(A). Generally, the employer or employer's authorized 
representative examines these documents in the physical presence of the 
employee presenting them.\7\
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    \7\ See M-274, Handbook for Employers, Sec.  4.0 (Completing 
Section 2 of Form I-9).
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    Physically examining identity and employment authorization 
documents offers important security benefits to enable employers to 
assess if the documents reasonably appear to be genuine and to relate 
to the individual who presents them. Employers who physically examine 
documents can touch and more clearly see identification security 
features like holograms and microprinting, as well as the card stock on 
which certain documents are printed.
    Given the important benefits of physical inspection, DHS is 
proceeding with an alternative procedure, described more fully below, 
that does not require the physical examination of acceptable documents 
but instead includes additional requirements to offer at least an 
equivalent level of security, in exercise of the Secretary's authority 
at 8 CFR 274a.2(b)(1)(ix)(B).

A. Employers Qualified To Use the Alternative Procedure

    At this time, the alternative procedure is available only to 
qualified employers, meaning those employers who are participants in 
good standing, in E-Verify. A participant in good standing in E-Verify 
is an employer that has enrolled in E-Verify with respect to all hiring 
sites in the United States that use the alternative procedure; is in 
compliance with all requirements of the E-Verify program, including but 
not limited to verifying the employment eligibility of newly hired 
employees in the United States; and continues to be a participant in 
good standing in E-Verify at any time during which the employer uses 
the alternative procedure. If a qualified employer

[[Page 47751]]

chooses to offer the alternative procedure to new employees at an E-
Verify hiring site, that employer must do so consistently for all 
employees at that site. However, a qualified employer may choose to 
offer the alternative procedure for remote hires only but continue to 
apply physical examination procedures to all employees who work onsite 
or in a hybrid capacity, so long as the employer does not adopt such a 
practice for a discriminatory purpose or treat employees differently 
based on their citizenship, immigration status, or national origin.\8\ 
Qualified employers who use an alternative procedure with an employee 
must retain a clear and legible copy of all documents presented by the 
employee seeking to establish identity and employment eligibility for 
the Form I-9.\9\
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    \8\ See, e.g., 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(1), which prohibits employment 
discrimination based on citizenship, immigration status, or national 
origin.
    \9\ E-Verify employers who do not apply the alternative 
procedure are only required to retain a photocopy of the following 
documents with an employee's Form I-9 if the employee chooses to 
present them: U.S. passport, U.S. passport card. Form I-551, 
Permanent Resident Card, Form I-766, Employment Authorization 
Document, available at https://www.e-verify.gov/sites/default/files/everify/memos/MOUforEVerifyEmployer.pdf (last visited May 25, 2023).
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    In part because DHS lacks data to assess the full impact of the 
Form I-9 COVID-19 flexibilities, DHS is limiting this alternative 
procedure to employers who are E-Verify participants in good standing. 
Such employers must confirm the identity and employment authorization 
of their newly hired employees by using E-Verify to electronically 
compare information from the Form I-9 to records available to DHS. 
Specifically, E-Verify electronically compares information entered by 
an employer from an employee's Form I-9, Employment Eligibility 
Verification, to records available to DHS and the SSA to confirm the 
validity of identity and employment authorization documents. E-Verify 
confirms List A documents that evidence identity and employment 
authorization, such as U.S. passports, Permanent Resident Cards, and 
Employment Authorization Documents (EADs), and electronically sends the 
photograph from the official record to the employer to compare with the 
photo on the document provided by the employee. E-Verify requires all 
cases to include the employee's Social Security number (SSN), and E-
Verify electronically compares employer-entered data with SSA records. 
E-Verify requires that all List B identity documents presented by 
employees contain a photo and uses data sources available to DHS to 
electronically verify the identity information provided on most state-
issued identification cards and driver's licenses. Ongoing user support 
is available in the form of webinars, E-Verify announcements 
communicated through E-Verify's robust distribution list, and a 
comprehensive resource web page. In addition to its normal roster of 
user training, E-Verify also grants enrolled employers access to 
training about employee rights and responsibilities.\10\
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    \10\ The Immigrant and Employee Rights Section of the Department 
of Justice's Civil Rights Division also has a free employer hotline, 
1-800-255-8155, and educational resources for employers to help them 
avoid unlawful discrimination, available at https://www.justice.gov/ier.
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B. Document Retention

    Qualified employers who choose to use the alternative procedure 
must retain a clear and legible copy of all documents presented by the 
employee seeking to establish identity and employment eligibility for 
the Form I-9 under the alternative procedure.\11\ Retained document 
copies allow DHS to assess the documents that were presented to, and 
remotely examined by, the employer in the event of an audit, and help 
to determine whether the documents examined by the employer reasonably 
appeared on their face to be genuine and to relate to the employee, 
that the employer has not discriminated against employees, and that the 
employer has complied with other Form I-9 requirements as required by 
statute (8 U.S.C. 1324a(b)(1)(A)(ii)) and regulation (8 CFR 
274a.2(b)(1)(ii)(A).
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    \11\ E-Verify-enrolled employers who do not use the alternative 
procedure are only required to retain a photocopy of the following 
documents with an employee's Form I-9 if the employee chooses to 
present them: U.S. passport, U.S. passport card. Form I-551, 
Permanent Resident Card, Form I-766, Employment Authorization 
Document, available at https://www.e-verify.gov/sites/default/files/everify/memos/MOUforEVerifyEmployer.pdf (last visited May 25, 2023).
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C. Training

    Employers who enroll in E-Verify and any users who manage and 
create E-Verify cases must complete an E-Verify tutorial that includes 
fraud awareness and anti-discrimination training. The tutorial is free 
and accessible as part of the E-Verify enrollment process to any users 
who manage and create E-Verify cases. Anti-discrimination training 
provides an overview of how to avoid discrimination in the Form I-9 and 
E-Verify processes, such as by requesting more, different, or specific 
Form I-9 documents, or rejecting valid documentation, because of an 
employee's citizenship, immigration status, or national origin. The 
fraud awareness training provides an overview of fraud indicators in 
identity and employment eligibility documentation and describes how an 
employer can examine Form I-9 documentation at various angles to help 
identify common document anomalies. Employers can do this as part of a 
physical examination process or a remote examination process.

III. Determination

    DHS has determined that the measures outlined in this notice, 
including (1) limiting participation to E-Verify participants in good 
standing; (2) expanding document retention requirements to include 
clear and legible copies of all presented documents for the Form I-9; 
(3) requiring training through E-Verify; and (4) conducting a live 
video interaction after the employee transmits a copy of the 
document(s) to the employer, offers at least an equivalent level of 
security as compared to physical document examination. These 
requirements appropriately mitigate the risk of undetected fraud or 
error and labor exploitation, position employers to ascertain whether 
the documents presented reasonably appear on their face to be genuine 
and to relate to the individual who presents them, ensure employers can 
confirm the validity of document information and therefore confirm 
employment eligibility via E-Verify, and provide additional 
accountability in the event of an audit. DHS believes these 
requirements appropriately address concerns about the potential for 
increased fraud in the Form I-9 process while allowing some employers 
to have access to this alternative procedure.
    DHS currently lacks data on rates of fraud or error associated with 
use of the alternative procedure as it relates to the baseline physical 
inspection requirements. DHS has also been unable to determine whether 
any observable change in rates of fraud or error occurred during the 
COVID-19 flexibilities period. The requirements for the flexibilities 
first announced in March 2020 also differ from the requirements for 
this alternative procedure and are thus not directly comparable. 
Although DHS is confident that the alternative procedure offers at 
least an equivalent level of security, DHS will monitor and evaluate 
data and information from ICE Form I-9 audits after the implementation 
of this alternative procedure to assess any measurable impacts to 
system integrity (such as error or fraud rates). Based on this 
information, the Secretary may

[[Page 47752]]

announce new procedures or requirements, or implement a pilot program 
to collect further data, or seek public comment thereon, as 
appropriate, in the Federal Register.

IV. Description of Alternative Procedure

A. What does the alternative procedure entail?

    Within three business days of an employee's first day of 
employment, a qualified employer (or an authorized representative 
acting on such an employer's behalf, such as a third-party vendor) who 
chooses to use the alternative procedure must:
    1. Examine copies (front and back, if the document is two-sided) of 
Form I-9 documents or an acceptable receipt \12\ to ensure that the 
documentation presented reasonably appears to be genuine;
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    \12\ For a description of acceptable receipts, see footnote 4.
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    2. Conduct a live video interaction with the individual presenting 
the document(s) to ensure that the documentation reasonably appears to 
be genuine and related to the individual. The employee must first 
transmit a copy of the document(s) to the employer (per Step 1 above) 
and then present the same document(s) during the live video 
interaction;
    3. Indicate on the Form I-9, by completing the corresponding box, 
that an alternative procedure was used to examine documentation to 
complete Section 2 or for reverification, as applicable; \13\
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    \13\ The new edition of the Form I-9 is effective on August 1, 
2023. Employers may continue to use the 10/21/2019 edition of the 
Form I-9 from August 1, 2023 until the end of October 31, 2023. As 
described elsewhere in this rule and accompanying notice, if during 
this grace period an employer uses the 10/21/2019 edition of the 
Form I-9 for the alternative procedure, the employer must indicate 
its use of the alternative procedure by writing ``alternative 
procedure'' in the Additional Information field in Section 2. No 
later than November 1, 2023, employers must begin using the August 
1, 2023 edition of the Form I-9. When using the August 1, 2023, 
edition of the Form I-9, an employer must indicate their use of the 
alternative procedure by completing the corresponding box in Section 
2 or in the section corresponding to reverification (which is 
Supplement B in the August 1, 2023 edition of Form I-9), as 
appropriate.
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    4. Retain, consistent with applicable regulations,\14\ a clear and 
legible copy of the documentation (front and back if the documentation 
is two-sided); \15\ and
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    \14\ See 8 CFR 274a.2(b)(3), (e), (f), (g).
    \15\ Employers must retain and store the Form I-9 for three 
years after the date of hire, or for one year after employment ends, 
whichever is later. See 8 U.S.C. 1324a(b)(3); 8 CFR 274a.2(b)(2). 
Additional information for employers and employees about the Form I-
9 is available at https://www.uscis.gov/i-9.
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    5. In the event of a Form I-9 audit or investigation by a relevant 
federal government official, make available the clear and legible 
copies of the identity and employment authorization documentation 
presented by the employee for document examination in connection with 
the employment eligibility verification process.\16\
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    \16\ See 8 U.S.C. 1324a, 1324b; 8 CFR part 274a.; 28 CFR part 
44.
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B. Which employers are qualified to use the alternative procedure?

    At this time, employers who are participants in good standing in E-
Verify are qualified to use the alternative procedure. A participant in 
good standing in E-Verify in this context refers to an employer that 
has enrolled in E-Verify with respect to all hiring sites in the United 
States that use the alternative procedure; is in compliance with all 
requirements of the E-Verify program, including but not limited to 
verifying the employment eligibility of newly hired employees in the 
United States; and continues to be enrolled and a participant in good 
standing in E-Verify at any time during which the employer uses the 
alternative procedure.

C. Must qualified employers using the alternative procedure use E-
Verify to create cases?

    Yes. Once enrolled in E-Verify, employers will be required to 
create a case for all newly hired employees,\17\ whether or not the 
alternative procedure is used, at each hiring site that is enrolled in 
E-Verify, in accordance with the E-Verify Memorandum of Understanding.
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    \17\ E-Verify participants will not create a case in E-Verify 
when Form I-9 reverification is completed for an existing employee, 
including situations when a case was never created for such 
employee.
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    E-Verify employers will be required to follow all applicable 
requirements, such as requirements imposed by the Federal Acquisition 
Regulation (FAR) E-Verify clause \18\ for certain contracts or federal 
contractors. E-Verify employers must also avoid unlawful discrimination 
in the E-Verify process such as treating employees differently based on 
their citizenship, immigration status, or national origin, in order to 
avoid violating 8 U.S.C. 1324b and remain in compliance with E-Verify 
requirements.
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    \18\ See 48 CFR Subpart 22.18.
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D. May a qualified employer continue to examine documents physically 
instead of using the alternative procedure?

    Yes. Use of this alternative procedure is entirely optional. 
Nothing in the alternative procedure prevents qualified employers from 
physically examining documents for the Form I-9.

E. May a qualified employer offer the alternative procedure to only 
some employees?

    A qualified employer does not need to use the alternative 
procedure, but if a qualified employer chooses to offer the alternative 
procedure to some employees at an E-Verify hiring site, that employer 
must do so consistently for all employees at that site. However, a 
qualified employer may choose to offer the alternative procedure for 
remote hires only but continue to apply physical examination procedures 
to all employees who work onsite or in a hybrid capacity, so long as 
the employer does not adopt such a practice for a discriminatory 
purpose or treat employees differently based on a protected 
characteristic.\19\ Under no circumstances can employers unlawfully 
discriminate, such as by deciding who is eligible for the alternative 
procedure based on a protected characteristic.
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    \19\ See, e.g., 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(1), which prohibits employment 
discrimination based on citizenship, immigration status, or national 
origin.
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F. Can all employers take advantage of this alternative procedure?

    No. At this time, only employers who are participants in good 
standing in E-Verify are eligible to use the alternative procedure.

G. Are there special Form I-9 reporting requirements associated with 
the alternative procedure?

    Yes, as noted above, qualified employers must indicate by 
completing the corresponding box, on the Form I-9, that an alternative 
procedure was used to examine documentation for either Section 2 or 
when conducting reverification.

H. Are there additional document retention requirements associated with 
the alternative procedure?

    Yes, as noted above, qualified employers applying the alternative 
procedure must retain clear and legible copies of all documents 
presented by the employee seeking to establish identity and employment 
eligibility for the Form I-9 and, in the event of an audit, provide 
access to these copies upon request. The alternative procedure 
retention requirement applies only to employees for whom the employer 
used the alternative procedure, not all employees of the employer.

I. When does the alternative procedure go into effect?

    Qualified employers may use the alternative procedure starting on 
August

[[Page 47753]]

1, 2023. Except as outlined in Question N below, employers cannot apply 
the alternative procedure to employees hired prior to the effective 
date of this notice. Other employers (those not enrolled in E-Verify) 
may do so after becoming a participant in good standing in E-Verify by 
enrolling and receiving the required training.

J. How long will the alternative procedure be available?

    The alternative procedure described in this document does not 
expire. However, DHS may amend or cancel it upon the Secretary's 
determination that doing so is necessary to maintain an equivalent 
level of security or as a temporary measure to address a public health 
emergency declared by the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
pursuant to Section 319 of the Public Health Service Act, or a national 
emergency declared by the President pursuant to Sections 201 and 301 of 
the National Emergencies Act. The Secretary will announce any such 
changes to this alternative procedure, or seek public comment thereon, 
as appropriate, in the Federal Register.

K. If the employee does not want the employer to apply the alternative 
procedure with respect to that employee, can qualified employers refuse 
to perform physical document examination?

    No, qualified employers must allow employees who are unable or 
unwilling to submit documentation using the alternative procedure to 
submit documentation for physical examination. Nothing in the 
alternative procedure prevents an employer from physically examining 
documents when requested to do so by an employee.

L. What methods of document verification are acceptable?

    To determine whether the documentation reasonably appears to be 
genuine, the qualified employer (or an authorized representative acting 
on the employer's behalf, such as a third-party vendor) must examine a 
copy of each document presented by the employee. In addition, the 
qualified employer must conduct a live video interaction with the 
employee who presents the document(s) to ensure that the documentation 
relates to the employee. The employee must first transmit a copy of the 
document(s) to the employer and then present the same document(s) 
during the live video interaction.

M. Can qualified employers that were enrolled in E-Verify during the 
COVID-19 temporary flexibilities use this alternative procedure to 
satisfy the requirement to physically examine Form I-9 documentation 
that had been examined remotely under the COVID-19 flexibilities? 
20
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    \20\ See ``ICE announces extension, new employee guidance to I-9 
compliance flexibility,'' U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement 
(Effective Apr. 1, 2021), available at https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ice-announces-extension-new-employee-guidance-i-9-compliance-flexibility (last visited May 20, 2023).
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    Yes, if certain conditions are met. Qualified employers that (1) 
were enrolled in E-Verify at the time they performed a remote 
examination of an employee's Form I-9 documentation for Section 2 or 
reverification while using the COVID-19 flexibilities, (2) created an 
E-Verify case for that employee (except for reverification), and (3) 
performed the remote inspection between March 20, 2020 and July 31, 
2023, can use the alternative procedure to satisfy the required 
physical examination of the employee's documents for that Form I-9. 
Such employers should not create a new case in E-Verify.
    All employers that use the alternative procedure instead of 
physical examination as described above must follow the steps of the 
alternative procedure and add ``alternative procedure'' with the date 
of examination (i.e., the date the employer performed a live video 
interaction as required under the alternative procedure) to the Section 
2 Additional Information field on the Form I-9 or in Section 3, as 
appropriate.\21\ As noted in Question E above, under no circumstances 
can employers unlawfully discriminate, such as by deciding who is 
eligible for this use of the alternative procedure based on a protected 
characteristic.
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    \21\ Additional information related to flexibility in Form I-9 
requirements due to COVID-19 is available at https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-related-news/questions-and-answers-related-to-
covid-19 (last visited June 29, 2023).
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    Employers who were not enrolled in E-Verify at the time they 
initially performed a remote examination of an employee's documents 
(i.e., within three business days of the employee's first day of 
employment) under the COVID-19 flexibilities between March 20, 2020 and 
July 31, 2023, are required to physically examine the employee's Form 
I-9 documents in the employee's physical presence. As previously 
announced, such physical examination must be completed no later than 
August 30, 2023.\22\
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    \22\ See ICE, Press Release, ICE updates Form I-9 requirement 
flexibility to grant employers more time to comply with requirements 
(May 4, 2023), https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ice-updates-form-i-9-requirement-flexibility-grant-employers-more-time-comply (last 
visited June 29, 2023).
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N. Audits and Evaluating the Alternative Procedure

    The INA specifically authorizes DHS, IER, and DOL officers to 
inspect Forms I-9, including any copies of employee documents retained 
with the corresponding Form I-9.\23\ All employers are subject to 
audits and investigations. DHS will monitor and evaluate data and 
information from ICE audits conducted to assess any measurable impacts 
to system integrity as between the employers that use the alternative 
procedure and those that continue with physical document inspection. 
Additionally, the final rule authorizes the Secretary to conduct a 
pilot program. DHS will evaluate all data and information collected 
through ICE audits after the implementation of this alternative 
procedure and future pilot programs with a continued goal of reducing 
unnecessary burdens and ensuring the security of any alternative 
procedures relative to physical document examination. The Secretary 
will announce any such pilot programs, new procedures, or changes to 
this alternative procedure, or seek public comment thereon, in the 
Federal Register.
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    \23\ See 8 U.S.C. 1324a(b)(3).
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O. Permitted Continued Use of Form I-9 (Edition: 10/21/2019) During a 
Grace Period

    As of August 1, 2023, employers should begin using Form I-9 with a 
version date of ``(Edition: 08/01/2023)'' to comply with their 
employment eligibility verification responsibilities. The version date 
is located in the bottom corner of the form. However, employers may 
continue using the prior version of Form I-9 (Edition: 10/21/2019) 
through October 31, 2023. If using the 10/21/2019 version of the Form 
I-9 for the alternative procedure, employers must indicate their use of 
the alternative procedure by writing ``alternative procedure'' in the 
Additional Information field in Section 2. After the grace period has 
elapsed, no later than November 1, 2023 employers must use the new Form 
I-9 (Edition: 08/01/2023) and indicate their use of the alternative 
procedure by completing the corresponding box in Section 2 or in the 
section corresponding to reverification (which is Supplement B in the 
August

[[Page 47754]]

1, 2023 edition of Form I-9), as appropriate.
    After October 31, 2023, the prior version of Form I-9 will no 
longer be valid for use and will be obsolete. The public can download 
the new Form I-9 from www.uscis.gov/i-9. After October 31, 2023, 
employers who fail to use Form I-9 (Edition: 08/01/2023) may be subject 
to all applicable penalties under section 274A of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 
1324a, as enforced by ICE.
    Employers do not need to complete the new Form I-9 (Edition: 08/01/
2023) for current employees who already have a properly completed Form 
I-9 on file, unless reverification applies. Unnecessary verification 
may violate the INA's anti-discrimination provision, section 274B of 
the INA, 8 U.S.C. 1324b, which is enforced by the Immigrant and 
Employee Rights Section (IER) in the Department of Justice's Civil 
Rights Division.

P. Obtaining Forms I-9 (Edition: 08/01/2023)

    Employers may download the new Form I-9 (Edition: 08/01/2023) from 
the USCIS website at www.uscis.gov/i-9. Employers can order the paper 
Form I-9 at www.uscis.gov/forms/forms-by-mail. For more information, 
the public can contact the USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283 or 
visit USCIS' I-9 Central web page at www.uscis.gov/i-9central.
    A Spanish-language version of the new Form I-9 is also available at 
www.uscis.gov/i-9 for use in Puerto Rico only.

Alejandro N. Mayorkas,
Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
[FR Doc. 2023-15533 Filed 7-21-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9111-28-P