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General Frequently Asked Questions

The employee needs to complete Section 1 of the Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification. They then need to book an appointment with the unit's Employment (Payroll) Center to present their documents (actual physical documents) from the List of Acceptable Documents to the I-9 Verifier and complete Section 2. 
The federal government has defined what documents can be used and maintains a List of Acceptable Documents. The actual, physical documents are required to be presented to the I-9 verifier as part of Section 2 completion.  Copies, or pictures of the documents are not acceptable.   

New hires who apply for a new document, due to the original being lost, stolen, or damaged, receive a receipt from the issuing authority. That receipt can be provided within the three (3) business days to complete the Form I-9, on the condition that the original document must be brought in within 90 days.

  • A receipt cannot be accepted for an expired document (exceptions apply to H-1B visa holders and some employees with I-766 EAD cards). For example, if an employee has an expired U.S. Passport, they cannot show a receipt for an application to receive a new U.S.Passport.
  • Employees who have applied for a new driver’s license and have an interim paper version can utilize the paper driver’s license, provided it is not expired, as it is considered a temporary document and not a receipt.

International employees can receive work authorization either through a visa that is sponsored by Purdue University, or through a visa that they have applied for on their own.

  • If an employee encounters an issue with documentation that they will present as proof of identity and work eligibility, the employee must immediately reach out to Purdue University International Students and Scholars (ISS) if they are holding a sponsored visa, or directly to the issuing authority if they applied on their own.
  • The employee’s start date must be delayed as they cannot start work while experiencing any issues and risk working without authorization. 

Employees are not allowed to work if they cannot provide proof of their identity and work authorization.

  • For example, if an employee is on an F-1/J-1 visa and is having issues in retrieving their I-94 from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the employee cannot work until the issue is resolved.
  • Employees are encouraged to double check all document information after arriving in the country, so it is typical that the employee would know there was an issue prior to beginning work.
  • ISS will contact the employee’s Employment/Payroll Center once notified of any issues to inform them to delay the start date. 

Note that not all visa statuses provide a person with authorization to work in the United States (U.S.). There are also visa statuses that do not automatically provide the employee with work authorization, but the employee can apply for additional documentation to become authorized to work in the U.S.

I-9 Verifiers and Central I-9 Support can provide information on visa statuses and what they typically present for the Form I-9. 

 

Some employees may receive a Tentative Nonconfirmation after completing their Form I-9. This is common for international employees. To allow time for submission of the employee's SEVIS file, no action will be taken on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Tentative Nonconfirmations for international employees until after September 7th. This delay will not negatively impact the employee and any emails from E-Verify can be disregarded during this timeframe.

While termination of employment was always an option for addressing noncompliance, we are concerned that there has been recent laxity in getting new employees to an I-9 Verifier within the three-day window required by law.  Given the significant financial penalties ($2500 per violation), the university is implementing the termination policy to encourage consistent compliance.   
Federal law requires that every employer who recruits, refers for a fee, or hires an individual for employment in the U.S. must complete Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. Federal guidelines require the employee to complete Section 1 of the I-9 no later than the first day of employment. Section 2 is required to be completed no later than the 3rd business day the employee works in the job.