Student Employment

May 13, 2010

The I-9 Form
 What is it and Why?
 Employment Eligibility Verification
 Required by Department of Homeland Security and
Cornell University
 To document that each new employee is authorized to
work in the United States
 I-9s are part of regular Cornell and Federal Audits
 The Federal Government is very serious about timely
completion of the I-9 form
 People have been fined and/or jailed, so please do not
take this process lightly
Before you start filling out an I-9:
 Check PeopleSoft Student Employment to see if the
employee already has an I-9 on file
 If there is already an I-9 on file, another is not
needed, unless there is an expiration date
 I-9 Date will read Emm/dd/yyyy

 If Expiration Date has expired, the student must

re-verify their employment eligibility by
presenting updated documents.
 If the I-9 field is blank, an I-9 must be completed
If an I-9 needs to be completed:
 Form MUST be completed within the first three days of
work.

 If not completed by 3rd day of work, student must stop

working until the form is completed
 NO EXCEPTIONS
 Students do receive Cornell literature about I-9
requirements in CU publications AND on the New
Student webpages
 Use the Correct Form
 I-9 forms are frequently revised by the Federal
Government
 We cannot accept old forms
 Instructions and valid form are available at:
 www.uscis.gov/files/form/I-9.pdf
 Link also found by Google searching “I-9”
 Employers Handbook is available at: www.uscis.gov/i-9
 Use black ink to complete form.
 Use white or cream paper – do not use dark colored
paper, as it will not scan properly
I-9 Instructions for:
 U.S. Citizens
 Noncitizen National
 Permanent Residents
 Foreign Nationals

 Make sure student has ORIGINAL documents

before you start.
Acceptable Documents
 On the following slide, you can refer to the most
common forms of Acceptable Documentation used.
(Highlighted and for reference only).
 List of Acceptable Documentation must be provided
to employee to review.
 The EMPLOYEE must choose the documents to prove
their eligibility and identity.
 The EMPLOYER cannot choose the specific
documents for the employee.
The STUDENT completes Section 1, which includes:

• Last Name •Social Security Number

(optional)
• First Name
•The student will need to check
• Maiden Name
his/her citizenship status
(if needed)
under “I attest, under penalty…”
• Address
•Student needs to Sign AND
(Permanent)
date form
• Date of Birth

*Please make sure that ALL necessary fields are filled in –

we cannot process I-9s with any missing information*
The EMPLOYER completes Section 2:
 You only need to see one document from List A, OR one
document from List B AND one document from List C
 Student Employment does NOT need to receive copies
of the employee’s verification documents
 In the “CERTIFICATION” statement section, put the
student’s exact start date (on the line provided)
 Please provide your signature and your department
address, PRINT your name and title, and date the form
with the date that you reviewed employee’s
documentation
Example for filling out Section 2
with a List A item for a Citizen:
Example for filling out Section 2 with List B
and List C items for a Citizen:
 This is NOT the same thing as an “alien” with a foreign visa
 Under the Compacts of Association between the United States and
the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and the Republic of the
Marshall Islands (RMI), most citizens of FSM and RMI are eligible to
reside and work in the United States as nonimmigrants. The compact
also eliminated the need for citizens of these two countries to obtain
employment authorization cards (Form I-766) to work in the United
States. FSM and RMI citizens can show a valid passport with a Form I-
94 or I-94A to satisfy I-9 requirements. The passport will have
Federated States of Micronesia or the Republic of the Marshall Islands
on the front cover.
 Please see the following slide for an example of a correct I-9 and the
document that must be viewed for a Noncitizen National.
Passport – Compacts of Free
Association

Correct Section 1 of
I-9 should look like
this
 MUST SEE Permanent Resident Card

 Student will need to put Permanent Resident Alien # in

Section 1 under “I attest…”

 You can use List B and List C documents as long as you

have seen the Permanent Resident Card and number
Example of a correct I-9 for a Permanent
Resident:
Example of Permanent Resident Card

Permanent Resident Alien #

Picture
Here
 If the student has Visa status OTHER than an F-1
they need to go to ISSO Caldwell B50 to fill out
their I-9. (Examples include, J-1, H-4, B-1, J-2, A-2,
L-2, etc)
 Information found on Visa or I-20 form
 In Section 1 in the “I attest…” box, the student
must check the 4th box down and provide their
Alien, Admission, or Departure # AND their
Expiration Date (date they can work until) on the
lines provided
 The SSN field is optional and the employee may choose
not to complete it.
 However, all employees must have a SSN for tax
reporting purposes, so refer the student to the ISSO
website if the student is missing an SSN:
http://www.isso.cornell.edu/ for directions on
applying for a SSN
 Example of correct Section 1 for a Foreign National:

The Alien # can be found on the I-94 form

(usually inside the students passport).

Alien/Admission/Departure #

I-94 Departure Record

 Stamp with
Visa type

The SEVIS #
CANNOT be used
Form I-20 on the I-9

The “Alien authorized to work until” date

(Section 1 of I-9) is found on the student’s
I-20 form. It is the date the student needs
to complete his/her studies by.

“Authorized to work until” date found here

Example of correct Section 2 for a Foreign National:

List A info MUST come from the

student’s PASSPORT.

A Visa is NOT acceptable documentation

for the I-9.
Visa vs. Passport
 A visa only allows travel to port of entry
 Obtained from American embassy or consulate
 If determined eligible to enter country for specific purpose
 It allows travel to the U.S. as far as the port of entry,
doesn’t permit further entry
 Once at port of entry only the immigration officer has
the authority to permit entrance into the U.S.
 A passport is an internationally recognized travel
document that verifies identity and nationality of the
bearer
Example of Foreign Passport:

Document #

Issuing Country

Expiration Date

Issuing Authority
Example of a Visa:

Visa Type

Nationality
Student Employment I-9 Processing
 Please Fax (255-5022) OR Mail (203 Day Hall) the I-9
to us for processing, please do not do both
 Can also send as email through DropBox
 Do NOT send I-9 form as an attachment to an email
 Employer KEEPS the original I-9 on file in their office
 You are not required to keep copies of viewed
documentation
 If you DO keep copies of documentation, then by law you
must keep copies for everyone (students, staff, faculty,
citizens, foreign nationals, etc.)
Student Employment I-9 Processing
 Please put the student’s EMPLID (7 digits) or NetID at
the top of the I-9.
 We enter the I-9 date in PeopleSoft, then scan the
documents, link the image to the student’s file, and
then shred the copy sent to our office.
 I-9s are processed within 2-3 days, except during high
volume periods in September, February, and June.
 We keep I-9s for 3 years, or 1 year after student
graduates, whichever is later
Questions?
 Please feel free to contact our office.

 Office of Financial Aid and Student Employment

Bridget Foster, Sandy Hickey
203 Day Hall
fax: 607.255.5022
sesemp@cornell.edu
http://www.studentemployment.cornell.edu/