Employers may now use the new Form I-9 issued by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to verify employment eligibility of new hires.

The revised form removes five documents from List A for identity check and employment eligibility: Certificate of U.S. Citizenship, Certificate of Naturalization, Alien Registration Receipt Card, Unexpired Reentry Permit, and Unexpired Refugee Travel Document. According to USCIS, these forms lacked features to deter fraud, counterfeiting, and tampering.

Under federal law, U.S. employers are required to complete the I-9 for all employees within the first three days of employment. It also requires the employer to retain these completed forms either for three years after the date of hire or for one year after termination, whichever is later.

Use of the new form will be required when a notice is published in the Federal Register. Employers not using the new Form I-9 will face fines and penalties. The new Form I-9 and a handbook providing complete instructions for employers are online at http://www.uscis.gov/i-9.