Form I-9 & E-Verify

Form I-9 and E-Verify are federal requirements that have very strict timelines for compliance. The potential penalties for noncompliance are significant, therefore adherence to these timelines is critical.

The hiring department may not begin the Form I-9 process until a job offer has been made and the individual accepts the offer.

See also:

New employees must complete Section 1 of the Form I-9 before or on their first day of employment.

The hiring department must complete Section 2 of the Form I-9 within three business days of the date employment begins.

The day employment begins means the first day the new employee works for the University in exchange for wages or other remuneration.

If the employee is being hired to work for fewer than three business days, Section 1 and 2 of the Form I-9 must be completed before or on the first day of employment.

Federal law requires that the employee stop working if either section of the Form I-9 is not completed within the specified time limits.

After the Form I-9 is completed, if the employee has entered a social security number, the E-Verify case is automatically submitted. The E-Verify system checks the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Social Security Administration (SSA) databases to confirm the employee’s eligibility to work in the U.S. E-Verify requires the employee to have a Social Security Number (SSN).  If an international employee completed the Form I-9 before receiving their SSN the E-Verify case will not be submitted until a SSN is entered.

NOTE about Social Security Numbers – Every employee who needs an I-9 has to have a social security number. If an employee does not have one, they need to apply for a SSN as soon as possible. The I-9 initiator will need to stay in touch with the employee until they receive one. When they do, the I-9 Initiator will need to send Section 1 to the employee so they can add it to Section 1. E-Verify will need to be manually run after that the SSN is added.

Verification of Employment Authorization Documents

When completing Section 2 of the Form I-9, the original document(s) presented by the new hire that show their identity and employment authorization, must be reviewed either in person or remotely, and the new hire must be present (via a video call if done remotely) while the document(s) are being examined.

View the list of acceptable documents

Please remind all incoming students that intend to work at IU to bring their acceptable Form I-9 documents with them. Documents must be unexpired originals (photocopies and/or scans are not acceptable).

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in August 2023 released an update to the Form I-9 which, among other improvements, allows work authorization documents may be verified virtually.

E-Verify Identification Number (ID)

There are occasions when an employee is asked to confirm to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that Indiana University is a participating employer in E-Verify.

  • Employer's Name: Indiana University
  • Employer's E-Verify Company Identification Number: 1543496

Federal Contracts

The federal government requires employers who receive federal contracts to use the government’s E-Verify system to verify the employment eligibility of employees working under federal contracts. This requirement is in addition to the existing I-9/E-Verify procedures for all new employees.

E-Verify procedures for Employees Working on Federal Contracts

Required Notices

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