I-9 Compliance Flexibility Further Extended to December 31, 2021

September 1, 2021

The Department of Homeland Security has announced another extension of flexibility for Form I-9 and E-Verify compliance during the COVID-19 pandemic. The policy has now been extended through December 31, 2021; the extension of time is the only change to the policy. 

We recommend that employers who have been inspecting documents virtually during the pandemic get started now on “perfecting the I-9s” — the required second step — which entails examining documents in person and updating the Form I-9 accordingly. For additional guidance on perfecting the I-9s, as well as guidance on adopting the authorized representative model, see our May 5, 2021 website posting here.

A detailed breakdown of the temporary flexibilities can be found in our website posting from March 2020. All of the USCIS’ temporary I-9 and E-Verify policies related to COVID-19 are gathered here, including a Q&A.