The purpose of this notice is to increase awareness of an essential federal compliance issue and to ask your assistance in ensuring that Ohio University is 100% compliant. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Form I-9 is used to verify the identity and employment authorization of individuals hired for employment in the United States. One of our responsibilities as an employer is to correctly complete and retain a Form I-9, verifying identity and eligibility to work in the United States, for every employee. Due to the large number of people we employ in a variety of ways, collecting this information can be a challenge.
To be fully compliant with federal regulations:
- the employee section (Section 1.) of the form must be completed on or before the first day of employment, but after an offer has been made and
- the employer section (Section 2.) must be completed correctly, including verification of work authorization documents, within three business days.
Ohio University utilizes the electronic Equifax online I-9 completion system for completion of all I-9s. Deans, directors, and department heads are asked to remind all hiring managers of the I-9 requirements detailed above. Employees will not be permitted to work if these deadlines are not met.
University Human Resources (UHR) has coordinated a variety of ways in which I-9s can be completed remotely to accommodate remote and hybrid work arrangements:
- When UHR receives a hiring proposal for the hire of a new Faculty or Staff member, the Employee Service Center (ESC) will work with hiring managers and new employees to facilitate the timely completion of the I-9 remotely or at UHR’s office. Therefore, it is imperative that UHR is notified of new hires, via a hiring proposal in PeopleAdmin, before the employee begins work (a minimum 3 business day lead time is recommended).
- The following website provides information regarding the hire of student employees: https://www.ohio.edu/hr/hire-manage/student-employment-procedures .
If you have questions regarding I-9 completion, please contact the Employee Service Desk at 740-593-1636. If you have additional questions, you may call University Human Resources at 740-593-1636. When in doubt, please contact UHR. Non-compliance can result in penalties of up to $2,292 per violation; unlawful employment penalties can be up to $16,000 per alien plus criminal penalties.