Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Extend Form I-9 Requirement Flexibility

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced an extension of the flexibility in complying with requirements related to Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, due to COVID-19. This temporary guidance was set to expire April 30, 2022. Because of ongoing precautions related to COVID-19, DHS has extended the Form I-9 flexibilities until Oct. 31, 2022.

On March 20, 2020, DHS announced that it would exercise prosecutorial discretion to defer the physical presence requirements of the Employment Eligibility Verification (Form I-9) under Section 274A of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). This policy only applied to employers and workplaces that were operating remotely. If there were employees physically present at a work location, no exceptions to the in-person verification of identity and employment eligibility documentation for Form I-9 were implemented at that time.

See the original ICE news release from March 20, 2020, for more information on how to obtain, remotely inspect, and retain copies of the identity and employment eligibility documents to complete Section 2 of Form I-9. Please also consult ICE’s guidance for clarification on this provision.

Employers should monitor the DHS and ICE websites for additional updates regarding the status of Form I-9 completion flexibilities.