Form I-9: proving you can work in the US

Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted). Courtesy of US Citizenship and Immigration Services. Public domain (US government work); use does not imply endorsement by US Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Form I-9: proving you can work in the US

Summary

Every US employer must complete Form I-9 for each new hire. The employee fills out Section 1 by the first day of work; the employer checks documents and completes Section 2 within three business days.

General information, not legal advice. Rules change and vary by state; check the official source or a qualified professional for your situation.

Draft. License: public domain (US government work). Sources: [S1] US Citizenship and Immigration Services, "Completing Form I-9"; [S2] US Citizenship and Immigration Services, "Completing Section 2, Employer Review and Attestation"; [S3] US Citizenship and Immigration Services, "Completing Section 1, Employee Information and Attestation".

Facts

id: F1 claim: Employers must complete and keep Form I-9 for every person hired after November 6, 1986, who works for pay. confidence: medium date: 2026-11-02 sources: [S1] license: public domain (US government work) checked_on: 2026-11-02
id: F2 claim: The form has Section 1 (employee), Section 2 (employer review), Supplement A (preparer or translator) and Supplement B (reverification and rehires). confidence: medium date: 2026-11-02 sources: [S1] license: public domain (US government work) checked_on: 2026-11-02
id: F3 claim: The employee must complete Section 1 no later than the first day of work. confidence: medium date: 2026-11-02 sources: [S3] license: public domain (US government work) checked_on: 2026-11-02
id: F4 claim: The employer must complete Section 2 within three business days of the first day; for jobs shorter than three days, both sections are due on day one. confidence: medium date: 2026-11-02 sources: [S2] license: public domain (US government work) checked_on: 2026-11-02

Source: https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/complete-and-correct-form-i-9 · License: public-domain · Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted). Courtesy of US Citizenship and Immigration Services. Public domain (US government work); use does not imply endorsement by US Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Cite this

Permanent ID: iil:note:fm3xkrth

iinventedlight Library. 2026. "Form I-9: proving you can work in the US." iinventedlight Library, iil:note:fm3xkrth, version of 2026-11-02. https://iinventedlight.com/library/reference/us-gov/form-i9-basics/. License: public-domain. Summary of https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/complete-and-correct-form-i-9.

@misc{iil_note_fm3xkrth,
  author = {{iinventedlight Library}},
  title = {{Form I-9: proving you can work in the US}},
  howpublished = {iinventedlight Library},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-11-02},
  url = {https://iinventedlight.com/library/reference/us-gov/form-i9-basics/},
  note = {Permanent ID iil:note:fm3xkrth. License: public-domain. Summary of https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/complete-and-correct-form-i-9.},
}

For language models and agents: start at /llms.txt. This page in Markdown: /library/reference/us-gov/form-i9-basics.md.