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Form I-9 and E-Verify

The university utilizes Form I-9 and E-Verify to comply with requirements of the United States government. All individuals hired at the university must complete a federal I-9 form within three days of hire. Individuals that will be paid from a funding source that requires e-verification must be e-verified. Not all new hires at the university will need to be e-verified.

Form I-9

Form I-9 is used to verify the identity and employment authorization of individuals employed in the United States. As required by federal law, the university must complete Form I-9 for each individual employed in the United States. Form I-9 is required for both citizens and noncitizens.

E-Verify

The university is required to use the federal government’s E-Verify system to confirm the identity and work eligibility of faculty and staff (including temporary staff members) working on contracts that contain the FAR E-Verify requirement.

Form I-9 and E-Verify Information and Resources

Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification Information and Resources
As required by federal law the university is required to complete and retain a Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification document for all regular and temporary employees hired after November 6, 1986.

Completion of Form I-9 is a shared responsibility of both the employee and the university.

Section #1 must be completed by the employee no later than the first day of employment

Section #2 must be completed by an authorized university representative on or before the third day of employment.

Form I-9 can be completed as soon as, but not before, a job offer has been extended and accepted.

In order to complete Form I-9 employees are required to present documentation confirming identity and eligibility to work in the United States. Acceptable documentation for completion of the I-9 is available on the federal government's I-9 Central website. Employees who are unable to meet federal I-9 requirements cannot lawfully be employed.

For employees who attend New Employee Orientation, the I-9 is completed at that time, so you must bring documentation from the List of Acceptable Documents to that program. All other employees working on the Ann Arbor campus (excluding Michigan Medicine) should have the Form I-9 completed at a Regional I-9 Center. Employees of Michigan Medicine and the Flint and Dearborn campuses should follow the instructions provided by human resources in order to complete Form I-9.

Employees who are working out of the area or out of state should work with their hiring department and follow the Remote I-9 Process. All federal timelines still apply.
Regional I-9 Center Locations

The university currently offers regional I-9 Centers where faculty, staff, and temporary employees complete the I-9 process. The centers are co-located with MCard offices in each of the major Ann Arbor campus areas. Visit the Shared Services Center website for information about center locations and hours. The centers are available by appointment only.
Remote I-9

The Shared Services Center Service is available to provide assistance to unit/department administrators by authorizing a knowledgeable person in a remote location to complete the I-9 process for a University of Michigan faculty or staff member who is unable to reach a University of Michigan campus. For more information about the Remote I-9 Process, consult the Shared Service Center.

Per federal requirements, all University of Michigan employees are required to complete an I-9 form in order to obtain employment. This includes those who will be working out of state or outside of reasonable travel distance to any U-M campus.

For those working outside of driving distance of a U-M campus, the Remote I-9 process must be initiated by the unit or department administrator. All Remote I-9 requests are managed and processed by the Employment Team located at the Shared Services Center. To determine if an employee is eligible for a Remote I-9, consult the Remote I-9 Decision Tool.

For more information about the Remote I-9 Process, review these guidelines or contact the Employment Team located at the Shared Services Center.
I-9 Compliance Training Resources

For U-M units outside of the Ann Arbor campus not using the Regional I-9 Centers, training on completing I-9s is avaiable on the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) I-9 Central website.
E-Verify Information and Resources
E-Verify is a federal requirement that is separate, but related to the I-9 requirement. E-Verify requirements apply to faculty, staff, and temporaries that receive pay from a funding source that requires e-verification.

E-Verify is a federal government system that uses federal databases to validate individual identities and work eligibility from the information gathered in the Form I-9 (Employment Eligibility Verification).

Executive Order 12989 requires federal contractors that hold contracts with the federal government containing the FAR E-Verify clause to use the E-Verify system. As a federal contractor and an institution of higher education, the university is required to use E-Verify to validate the identity and work eligibility of faculty, staff, and temporaries working on contracts that contain the FAR E-Verify requirement. Compliance with the E-Verify requirement requires the cooperation of all units and campuses receiving contract funding. Failure to comply can jeopardize the contract funding received university-wide.

Faculty, staff, and temporaries who are newly hired at the university and immediately paid from a funding source that requires e-verification must be e-verified within 3 days of date of hire. Existing university faculty, staff, and temporaries that are transferred to a funding source that requires e-verification must be e-verified within 30 days of the effective date of appointment to this source of funds.

The E-Verify process involves a meeting between the employee and a U-M E-Verify representative. During this meeting a new Form I-9 is completed and information from the I-9 form is submitted to E-Verify. E-Verify compares that information to records maintained by the Social Security Administration and Department of Homeland Security to confirm if the employee is authorized to work in the United States. The meeting typically takes approximately 20 minutes.

Use the E-Verify checklist for units to help determine when an employee should be E-Verified.

Federal Notices are Displayed in all the Regional I-9 Centers and Are Available here for Optional Display in Your Unit

"This Employer Participates in E-Verify" English language version

"This Employer Participates in E-Verify" Spanish language version

"If You Have the Right to Work" English language version

"If You Have the Right to Work" Spanish language version

For more information about E-Verify, email e-verify.questions@umich.edu or contact David Day in University Human Resources at (734) 763-2387.
Frequently Asked Questions About E-Verify

Is U-M required to use E-Verify?

Yes. Federal regulations that require the use of E-Verify took effect in September 2009. All organizations that hold contracts that contain the FAR E-Verify clause are required to use E-Verify to validate employee identity and employment eligibility within the time periods established by the regulations.

Who is affected by E-Verify?

All faculty and staff (including temporary staff) hired after November 6, 1986 working on contracts that contain the FAR E-Verify requirement must be electronically matched with federal records through the E-Verify system. Citizenship status is not a factor in determining who must E-Verify.

Are all new university hires e-verified?

No. The university's participation in the federal E-Verify does not permit e-verification of all new hires. Instead, only individuals (both new hires and existing university faculty, staff and temporary employees) that are paid from contracts that require e-verification can be e-verified.

If I work on a federal grant will I need to be E-Verified?

No. Individuals working on federal grants do not need to E-Verify at this time. Only individuals working on contracts with the FAR E-Verify requirement need to be E-Verified.

I received a notice that a federal contract in my unit contains the E-Verify requirement. What should I do?

If you are responsible for administration of a federal contract in your unit, you should contact the HRMS Unit Liaison in your unit. Your HRMS Unit Liaison, or another department representative, then needs to work with University Human Resources to arrange for completion of the E-Verify process. If you are a faculty or staff member (including temporary) working on a contract that requires E-Verification, you will need to complete a new I-9 form and be E-Verified within required timelines.

What are the required timelines associated with E-Verify?

Newly hired Faculty, staff (including temporary) must be E-Verified within 3 days of hire.

Existing UM Faculty, staff (including temporary) must be E-Verified within 30 days of beginning work on a contract that contains the E-Verify requirement.

How should I prepare to be E-Verified?

You can prepare for E-Verification by ensuring that the information you have on file with the Social Security Administration (SSA) and/or the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is correct and up-to-date. For example, if your name has changed, but you have not updated your Social Security card, you should visit the Social Security Administration office nearest you to make this change. If your information does not match the information that either SSA or DHS have on file for you, then you will likely receive a "tentative non-confirmation" (TNC) when you are E-Verified.

What documents do I need to complete an I-9 form?

Acceptable documentation for completing an I-9 is available from the federal government's I-9 Central website.

What happens when an employee’s information can’t be verified or doesn’t match federal records?

When there is a discrepancy, the government’s E-Verify system provides notification of a “tentative non-confirmation” (TNC) of identity and/or employment eligibility. Generally, this can be corrected by the employee with a visit to your local Social Security Administration office or a call to the Department of Homeland Security (as applicable). In the event that a TNC is received, Human Resources will provide guidance directly to the individual. An employee who receives notice of TNC has eight federal government work days to contact the appropriate federal agency to initiate resolution of the information mismatch.

Is release time from work available to resolve a tentative non-confirmation (TNC)?

Individuals who receive a tentative non-confirmation (TNC) from the federal E-Verify system and choose to contest with the Social Security Administration or Department of Homeland Security are provided release time to resolve the TNC. Release time will be considered excused unpaid time. If the staff member has vacation/PTO available it can be used with appropriate approval of the supervisor/manager. Prior approval of the individual's supervisor or manager is required. Release time should be recorded in accordance with the Unit/Department’s standard time-keeping processes.

Can employees continue to work and be paid while they are correcting an error that led to a TNC?

Yes. Federal guidelines allow for faculty and staff to continue working while discrepancies are being investigated and corrected as long as the employee initiates resolution of the TNC within the allowable time period (8 federal government working days).

Who is exempt from the E-Verify requirement?

If you were hired on or before November 6, 1986, you do not need to be E-Verified. The Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) took effect on November 7, 1986 and began the use of the form I-9 to confirm an individual's identity and eligibility to work in the U.S. If an I-9 was not required of you because your date of hire preceded November 6, 1986 and there is no break in your service with the university, you do not need to be E-Verified.

If I only work on a federal contract for a short period of time, do I have to E-Verify?

Yes. In order to meet the federal requirements associated with E-Verify, the university must E-Verify any individual paid from a contract with the E-Verify requirement, even if that work is for a short period of time.

Does the E-Verify requirement apply to subcontracts?

Yes. The E-Verify requirement covers subcontractors if a prime contract includes the clause. For subcontracts that flow from those prime contracts, the rule extends the E-Verify requirement to subcontracts for services or construction with a value over $3,000.

Do faculty and staff need to learn how to use the system?

No. The entry of information into E-Verify will be done by authorized UM representatives during a meeting to complete the E-Verify process.

Who is the Unit Liaison for my unit?

For a list of HR Unit Liaisons, go to: http://www.mais.umich.edu/groups/liaisonlist.html.

Can my unit E-Verify someone who may work on a federal contract in the future?

No. The university's enrollment in E-Verify does not permit completion of the process in advance of working on the covered contract. Only individuals working on contracts with the E-Verify requirement are E-Verified.

I work in a unit or department that receives federal contracts, what should I do?

You need to monitor all federal contracts and amendments for the FAR E-Verify requirement and initiate the E-Verify process immediately upon receipt of a contract with this requirement.

How can I get the university's E-Verify number?

The university's E-Verify number is considered confidential in nature. Therefore, the university will only release this information to a university unit or department on a need to know basis. A unit or department can contact the university's International Center to request this information.
Schedule E-Verify Appointments
To schedule an appointment for a faculty member, staff member or a temporary employee that will be paid from a funding source that requires e-verification, the employing unit/department must confirm applicability of the E-Verify requirement and provide the information described below. Employing unit/departments must initiate the e-verify process in a manner to meet federal timelines.

The following information is needed to schedule an E-Verify appointment.

Employee Name and ID #

Parent Project Grant (P/G) # that has the E-Verify requirement

Short-code(s) that employee will be paid from that is tied to this P/G #

Effective Date of appointment to this short-code(s)

The following units should initiate the e-verify process using the applicable email:

College of Engineering (Ann Arbor campus)
Email: CoE-e-verify@umich.edu

Medical School
Email: Medicalschool-e-verify@umich.edu

Institute for Social Research
Email: ISR-e-verify@umich.edu

College of Literature, Science, & the Arts
Email: lsahrtransactions@umich.edu

All other units should initiate the e-verify process via the E-Verify Request Form.

Appointments are necessary to be e-verified.

For questions about the university E-Verify program, contact Katie McCollum via email at e-verify.questions@umich.edu.

Staff Human Resources