Update 12-14-16. The particpant code for the webinar was changed by USCIS on short notice. We have updated the story with the new access information and apologize for any inconvenience.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has published a revised version of Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. The agency has scheduled a series of free webinars for Notaries who offer I-9 services.
The first webinar is scheduled for December 14 at noon ET, with more scheduled in January and February 2017. (See below for login details and the rest of the schedule.)
While I-9s do not require notarization, Notaries often are asked to help complete the forms, serving as the employer’s authorized representative.
New I-9 Features
The new Form I-9 is available now and can be used by any employer going forward. Employers also can continue to use the old form until January 22, 2017. As of that date, only the new form will be acceptable, according to the USCIS announcement.
The biggest change is that the new I-9 is designed to be easier to complete on a computer. There are drop-down options for many fields as well as features that make it harder to make mistakes. In addition, the instructions have been separated from the form, and include specific instructions for completing each field.
Webinar Schedule
In addition to the December webinar, others are scheduled for:
January 18 at 2 pm ET
February 16 at 1 pm ET
Approximately 15 minutes prior to the start of a session, login to the link provided for the NNA and dial, toll free: (866) 928-2008 and enter code 887183.
Participants will be allowed to ask questions in the last 15 minutes of each session.
Michael Lewis is Managing Editor of member publications for the National Notary Association.