Understanding the I-9 Employment Verification Process
What is Form I-9?
Under US law, employers are required to verify that their employees are authorized to work in the US. This process is managed through completion of Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification. At Tufts, all employees hired to paid roles - including students, research and administrative staff, and faculty - are required to complete Form I-9 before starting their jobs at Tufts.
While different companies manage the I-9 process differently, Tufts University uses an electronic process managed by I-9 Everywhere, an outside company. You may receive an email from I-9 Everywhere if you are offered a job at Tufts and have not completed an I-9 before.
If you are offered a Tufts job, you will receive an email from I-9 Everwhere with a link to your Form I-9. The email will provide you with instructions to provide the following:
- Your personal and address information
- Image files (e.g., JPEGs) of your identity and work authorization documents (see next question regarding document types)
- The name and email address of a person other than yourself. This person will be responsible for verifying that they have viewed the original versions of the documents you uploaded.
See the Access Tufts site for more information about I-9 Everywhere and the I-9 process at Tufts.
Important: you can present only specific documents when completing Step 1 of the I-9 process. Refer to the USCIS's web page describing acceptable I-9 documents. See also the next question for document tips.
Important: you can present only specific documents when completing Step 1 of the I-9 process. Refer to the USCIS's web page describing acceptable I-9 documents. See also the next question for document tips.
When completing Section 1 of Form I-9, most international students and scholars would be considered "aliens authorized to work" and must show evidence of identity (usually, an unexpired foreign passport), and their I-94 record showing their immigration status and status expiration date, or a valid and unexpired I-766 Employment Authorization Document (EAD card), sometimes called a work permit. To show your identity and proof of US work authorization, you must present documents included on USCIS's list of acceptable I-9 documents. You may present either a List A document(s) or a combination of one List B and one List C document.
Tufts is not permitted to tell you which documents you yourself must submit, but for most international students, scholars, and employees, the typical documents would include the following. Please note special instructions when uploading documents in the I-9 Everywhere system.
- A valid and unexpired foreign passport - be sure to include not only the photo ID page but the second page with a machine readable barcode (see image below)
- Your Form I-94 showing your date of entry to the US, your Admit Until date, and Class of Admission (e.g., F-1, J-1, H-1B, etc.)
- Form I-94 is generated by US Customs and Border Protection upon arrival in the US and can be downloaded from the CBP I-94 website. Do not submit your travel history - generate your I-94 from the "Get Most Recent I-94" tab
- Persons who changed their immigration status while in the US (in particular, H-1B employees) may instead have an I-94 attached to the I-797 approval notice they received
- Your I-94 must be saved and uploaded as a JPEG or image file (not as a PDF)
- Your Form I-20 (for F-1 students), Form DS-2019 (for J-1 students and scholars), or I-797A Approval Notice (for H-1B and other employees on work visas)
EAD cards: Some students and employees who are authorized by USCIS to work under Optional Practical Training or similar work benefit, and who have a valid I-766 employment authorization document (EAD) card, may be able to present their EAD card as evidence of work authorization as a List A document.
Social Security Cards: You cannot submit a Social Security Card that was issued with restrictions as evidence of identity or work authorization when completing Form I-9. Restricted cards include Social Security cards that have one of the following indications: "Valid for Work only with DHS authorization"; "Valid for Work Only with INS Authorization"; or "Not Valid for Employment."
Work Authorization Expiration
International students and scholars should keep in mind that work authorization is typically limited until one of these dates:
- F-1 student eligibility for working on campus is the program end date indicated on their I-20 form, or whenever they stop studying, whichever comes first
- J-1 student or scholar eligibility for working for Tufts is the program end date indicated on their DS-2019 form
- H-1B employee work authorization is indicated on the approved start and end dates on their I-797 Approval Notice
- Employees with an I-766 EAD card may work through the expiration of their EAD card, unless there is an extension of EAD validity through a public notice made available by the Department of Homeland Security
You may complete the first step of the I-9 process once you receive an email from I-9 Everywhere asking you to upload copies of your identity and work authorization documents. You may complete this part of the process at any time once you are contacted by I-9 Everywhere, but it should be completed no later than the first day of employment.
In addition, no later than the first three business days of employment, a witness must confirm in the I-9 Everywhere system that they examined the actual documents you submitted. You will be asked to provide the name and contact information of your I-9 witness. The witness cannot be yourself, but must be another individual who would be willing to certify that they have reviewed the original physical documents you submitted.
No. In general, international students and employees need to be physically present in the US before completing Form I-9. This is because when completing Form I-9, you may be asked to submit your Form I-94 departure record, which is evidence that you arrived in the US using the visa that allows you to work. You will obtain an I-94 record only after you have arrived in the US.
No, you do not need a Social Security Number (SSN) to start the I-9 process. However, if you do not have a Social Security Number by the time you are ready to start a job with Tufts, you should take immediate steps to apply for one as soon as you are eligible to do so. You will need to update Tufts with your SSN later, once you have received it.
Go to the International Center's Social Security Number web page for more information about how to apply for your SSN.
If you are an international student or employee, you may need to re-verify your I-9 for different reasons, such as the following:
- Your current work authorization will expire, and you have received an extension of your ability to work for Tufts
- Your immigration status has changed - for example, you may have started working as an H-1B employee, but you now have US permanent resident status
For information about re-verifying your I-9, go to Access Tufts.
Tufts University participates in the US Department of Homeland Security's E-Verify program. This program requires Tufts to submit I-9 information provided by the employee to the Department of Homeland Security, to be electronically verified against information in different US government databases.
A tentative nonconfirmation message means that there is a mismatch between the information you provided on your I-9 and the information available to the US government. A mismatch does NOT mean that you do not have valid US work authorization, but only that there is a difference in information that needs to be clarified.
If you receive a TNC message, you are required to respond to the TNC by following the instructions provided to you in the the TNC email message. Do NOT ignore the TNC instructions. After your response is received, a final verification ruling may be issued by the Department of Homeland Security that will determine whether or not you can start or continue your employment or if you will need to temporarily cease employment until the matter is resolved.