Quick Start Guide

Now that you’re enrolled in E-Verify, you are probably wondering how this thing actually works. We are available to offer guidance regarding any part of the verification process; however, this Quick Start Guide will help you get going.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Going forward, you are required to verify all new hires*.  There are several ways to send us the info required to verify; you can pick the method most convenient for you. If you are a federal contractor, you must also verify certain current employees as well.

READ THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MoU)

The MoU outlines your responsibilities as a participant in the E-Verify program, and there are a few small differences from how you’ve always processed I-9 forms. There are also some restrictions on how you use E-Verify. For example, you cannot pre-screen potential employees or selectively verify new hires. Also, when the new hire presents a “List B” document, it must include a photograph. There are several other important provisions, so read the MoU carefully.

YOUR ESSENTIAL READING LIST

We are required to direct you to the following USCIS documents, which will provide a better understanding of how E-Verify works and how to complete the I-9 form. We strongly encourage you to download and consult these resources often:

You must use the current version of the I-9 form; it’s a violation of federal law to use an expired form. Download here

You will find more helpful articles and tutorials in this HelpDesk. Most likely, the answers to your questions will be found here. If you still have questions, just ask.

A US Citizenship & Immigration Service resource, “I-9 Central” is THE place to learn about how to complete Form I-9 . It is very important that you know how to complete the form as fines after a USCIS audit can run between $220 and $2,500 per form error. I-9 Central

POST THE E-VERIFY “RIGHT TO WORK” POSTERS

You are required to post English and Spanish versions of two signs in the area where prospective and new employees complete employment-related paperwork like the I-9 Form. If posting the signs isn’t possible or not suitable for your situation, you must provide a copy of all three signs to the new hire with the I-9 form. Download the posters via the link in the “welcome email” or contact us to request the posters.

SUBMITTING I-9s FOR VERIFICATION

We make verifying new hires easy! There is no login, no username and password! You may submit any time between the day that the new hire accepts the job and completes the I-9 and three days after the employee begins work for pay.

You must verify all new hires, at the designated hiring locations, who were or will be hired on or after the date on which your account was activated.

You can submit I-9s by (in order of preference):

We will usually send a response in the same work day that the I-9 is submitted but if we receive it late in the workday, we will respond the next business day. Occasionally, an email can get lost, so if a full business day passes without a response from us, please contact us. Do not resend the form unless we tell you that it wasn’t received.

When certain “List A” documents are presented, we must match the photo on the document to the photo on file with E-Verify. Failure to send the card image with the I-9 form will delay the verification.

CONFIRMATIONS AND OTHER NOTICES

For timeliness and to minimize costs, Verify I-9 sends all notices and invoices by email. When we provide you with a document to give to the employee, we will send it as an email attachment. Check your contact email account often, especially when you have verifications pending. E-Verify has a very strict timetable for submitting and completing verifications. We also send invoices by email. If our invoices should be sent to another address, please let us know.

ENSURE THAT OUR EMAIL REACHES YOU!

Our notifications and other email may be caught by your spam filter. Please add our email addresses, everify@verifyi9.com and somebody@verifyi9.com, and/or our domain, verifyi9.com, to your email program’s address book, “safe senders” list or sender whitelist.

Who must I verify?
You must verify new hires at the “hiring locations” named when you submitted enrollment information. This may be just one location, a subset of your business locations, or all. If you aren’t sure for which hiring locations you are required to verify new hires, contact us.

Updated: 05.03.2025