Federal: USCIS Makes Changes to I-9 Form

What happened?

On April 2, 2025, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) updated Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to align with statutory language and revised the DHS Privacy Notice.

Overview

Form I-9 Updates:

• Edition Date: The revised Form I-9 now has an edition date of 01/20/25 and an expiration date of 05/31/2027.

• Previous Editions: previous editions remain valid until their respective expiration dates.
  • Form I-9 (08/01/23 edition): Valid until 05/31/2027.
  • Form I-9 (08/01/23 edition): Valid until 07/31/2026 (Employers using this form must update their electronic systems with the 05/31/2027 expiration date by July 31, 2026

• Key Changes:
  
  • Checkbox Renaming: The fourth checkbox in Section 1 is renamed “An alien authorized to work.”
  • Document Descriptions: Descriptions of two List B documents in the Lists of Acceptable Documents are revised.
  • Instructions Update: The instructions now include appropriate statutory language and an updated DHS Privacy Notice.

Additional Details:

• E-Verify Updates: These updates aim to align with statutory language and improve the clarity and accuracy of employment eligibility verification processes.
  
  • Citizenship Status Selection: Starting April 3, 2025, E-Verify and E-Verify+ will update the Citizenship Status selection to “An alien authorized to work.”
  • Employer Actions: Employers must select “An alien authorized to work” in E-Verify if an employee attests as “A noncitizen authorized to work” on Form I-9.
  • Case Display: E-Verify cases will display “An alien authorized to work,” while Form I-9 may show “A noncitizen authorized to work,” depending on the edition used.
  • Web Services Applications: E-Verify users creating cases through Web Services applications will see the employee status attestation automatically updated to “An alien authorized to work.”

• Web Services Developer Instructions: These instructions ensure that the Web Services applications used by employers are aligned with the new statutory language and updates to Form I-9 and E-Verify.
  
  • Automatic Update: When creating cases through Web Services applications, the employee’s status will automatically update to “An alien authorized to work.”
  • Current Interface Control Agreement (ICA): Version 31.1 of the ICA provides guidance for Web Services developers.
  • Action Required: Developers should update their platforms to transmit “An alien authorized to work” instead of “A noncitizen authorized to work” as soon as possible.

Source References

• USCIS Press Release – Minor Changes to Form I-9 and E-Verify Updates

Resources

• USCIS – I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification
• USCIS I-9 Form (01-20-25 Update)

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