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Form I-9 Processor Tools and Resources

This page provides tools and resources for Form I-9 processors who are required to verify employment and complete Section 2 of Form I-9. The university's onboarding site contains more information for employees and managers and supervisors on how to complete Section 1 of Form I-9 and requirements that the employee must meet for Section 2 of the form, including acceptable Form I-9 documents. Non-U.S. citizens are also encouraged to review this additional Form I-9 information.

If you are a Form I-9 processor, click the following links to jump to a topic. If you have questions or issues with verifying employment eligibility, contact the I-9 team at I-9@vt.edu.

Form I-9 processor training

Following are links to required training in the PageUp Learning Management System (LMS). All processors must complete this training to have E-verify access to complete Section 2 of Form I-9.

Resource materials and job aids

Common Form I-9 processing errors

Refer to the list below for common Form I-9 processing errors to avoid.

  • Processing a new Form I-9 when one is not required: The university is charged for each Form I-9 processed. It is important to make sure that a new form is needed before processing.
  • Photo attachment is not legible: Most commonly, the photo attachment is too dark to confirm the image. Please ensure attachments are clear and legible for anyone that opens them to view. Always verify legibility after attaching the scanned document. Adjust the darkness to make the image legible or rescan and attach again.
  • Section 2 employment begin date does not match the Banner start date: Form I-9 is prepopulated with the employee's Banner start date, which is the date that should be used for Form I-9 employment verfication. The start date should not change even if an employee does not begin working until a later date. Example: A graduate assistant's contract states the start date as Aug. 10 but the employee does not begin work until the first day of the academic semester. The graduate assistant's start date would still be Aug. 10.
  • Notification of a new hire after employment begin date, resulting in retroactive job begin date: Retroactive job entries will most likely result in a late Form I-9, particularly Section 1. Notify your HR representative if a situation like this occurs.
  • System issues delay completion, which might not be reflective of department/unit performance, but results in non-compliance: If a packet has not been created or a new hire is experiencing issues accessing the packet, email the HRIT team at HRask@vt.edu, include New Hire Center in the subject line.

Frequently asked questions

An employee must complete Section 1 of the Form I-9 on or before the first day of employment. Note: The start date in Banner is considered an employee's first day of employment.

Yes, Equifax New Hire Packets are generated up to 45 days ahead of the first day of employment. The new hire may complete the packet, including Sections 1 and 2 of the Form I-9, any time before of the first day of employment.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) defines the first day of employment as the first day the employee begins working for pay. Note: The start date in Banner is considered an employee’s first day of employment.

The start date should not change even if an employee does not begin working until a later date. Example: A graduate assistant's contract states the start date as Aug. 10 but the employee does not begin work until the first day of the academic semester. The graduate assistant's start date would still be Aug. 10.

Section 2 of the Form I-9 must be completed by the employer no later than three business days after the employee’s first day of employment (Banner start date). An offer of employment must be accepted and the new hire must complete Section 1 of Form I-9 before Section 2 can be completed. Example: If your employee began on Monday, you must complete Section 2 by Thursday of that week.

If there has been no break in service, you do not need a new Form I-9. Please verify in Banner that an original Form I-9 was completed and an E-Verify case number is listed.

The employer may help a new hire who needs assistance in completing Section 1 of the Form I-9; however, the employer must also complete the "Preparer and/or Translator Certification" block. The employee must still present their original documentation to be reviewed and verified.

Note: **Coming soon ** Employees may present their documents in person or using the Virtual I-9 Verification Process in E-verify. Watch soon for more information on virtual verification.

When a new hire has a receipt, the receipt box should be checked in Section 2 of the Form I-9. This will mark the Form I-9 as "Receipt Due" in E-verify. The I-9 processor must see the original document before the receipt expires and should complete the receipt update in E-verify. The USCIS website explains the types of acceptable receipts. 

No, only original, acceptable, and unexpired documents that establishes the new hire's identity and employment authorization may be presented. The I-9 processor must review the original documents and evaluate whether these documents reasonably appear to be genuine and relate to the person.

A restricted Social Security card with that or a similar notation cannot be used as a List C document. The I-9 processer should ask the new hire to provide a different document.

Log into New Hire Center

North End Center, Suite 2300 (0318)
300 Turner Street NW
Blacksburg, VA 24061

Hours 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Phone 540-231-9331
Fax 540-231-3830
Email hrservicecenter@vt.edu

Have questions about Form I-9? Email us!
Acceptable Form I-9 Documents
Completing Form I-9