When you hire a new employee, one of your main tasks as a General Manager (GM) is to help them complete Form I-9, a required form used to verify if they’re eligible to work in the U.S.
Once the employee fills out their part, you’ll need to review the form and create an E-Verify case in the onboarding system. Workstream will automatically check their info against government records, so you won’t need to log in to E-Verify separately.
In this article, you'll learn how to:
Start onboarding so the new hire can complete Form I-9
Help them fill out personal and work eligibility details
Review their completed form
Complete Section 2 with document verification and employer info
Create and track an E-Verify case
The Form I-9 module, located in the new hire's onboarding profile
Onboard your new hires
First step of this process is that the GM initiates onboarding. Follow this article to start the onboarding process for your new hires. This sends them a link to complete their onboarding modules and gives them access to fill out the Form I-9.
After starting the onboarding process, your new employee will need to complete the Form I-9 (with E-Verify) module.
📌 Access needed: To access onboarding, you need to have the Manage onboarding permissions. If you don't have access, please reach out to your Super Admin.
Help employees complete the Form I-9 module
Next step is for the employee to complete the Form I-9 to confirm they are eligible to work in the U.S. Here's how they can get started:
Get started with the onboarding module
The employee need to access the onboarding notification from Workstream, sent by email or text.
Select Get started. This will bring them to their onboarding tasks.
Complete Personal Information
Once they're in the Form I-9 module, they need to complete Section 1 of the form. This section requires basic personal and work authorization information.
Begin by filling out required fields:
First Name, Last Name
Address, City, State, ZIP Code
Date of Birth
Social Security Number (SSN)
If the SSN is available, the employee should enter their SSN in the required field before moving on.
If the SSN is not available yet, they can check the box SSN is pending. When selected, the SSN field will no longer be required. This is valid and compliant with USCIS rules.
Note: For manager instructions, see Manage pending SSNs.
After completing personal information, select Next to continue.
Complete Citizenship or Immigration Status
Indicate work authorization status.
A noncitizen (other than the 2nd and 3rd options above) authorized to work
If their authorization has an expiration date, enter the expiration date as specified on the work authorization document. Otherwise, select the checkbox if their work authorization document doesn't have an expiration date.
Choose one of the following work authorization types and enter the relevant document number:
USCIS A-Number
Form I-94 Admission Number
Foreign Passport Number
A lawful permanent resident
Enter USCIS A-Number.
Select Next to continue.
Review and confirm
Make sure they review all details carefully before submitting, as this information is essential for verifying their eligibility to work in the U.S.
Carefully review the completed information. When ready, check the box that confirms their understanding of federal laws prohibiting false information on this form.
Select Finalize and Sign.
Sign the Form I-9 to submit it for review.
Review and complete the Form I-9 module
After the employee completes the Form I-9 module, it’s important for you, as the GM, to take action promptly.
As your next step, you are required to review Section 1 and complete Section 2 of the Form I-9 within three business days of the employee’s start date. This is a USCIS requirement and is essential for maintaining compliance with employment verification regulations.
Taking timely action helps avoid potential legal issues and ensures a smooth onboarding process for your new hire.
📌 Access needed: To review onboarding modules, you’ll need both Manage Onboarding and View Sensitive Worker Information (Full Details) permissions.
If you don’t have these permissions, contact your Super Admin for access.
Here's how to navigate Onboarding and review the Form I-9 module:
Go to the Form I-9 module in Onboarding
In team view, go to the Onboarding section, then select Overview.
Go to the In progress tab, then select View tasks or Start tasks next to the relevant team member.
Go to the Form I-9 (with E-Verify) section.
Review Section 1
In New hire submission, select View.
Review the information submitted by the new hire and make sure it's correct.
Select the three-dot menu (•••) at the upper-right corner, then Mark as complete.
Complete Section 2
In Review new hire’s I-9 documents, select Review.
Employer Information: Fill in the required employer information, then select Next.
Document Information:
Specify the document presented by the new hire.
Enter any additional information if applicable.
(For remotely verifying workers) Check the box if you used a DHS-approved alternative procedure to examine documents.
Document uploads may be required or optional, depending on the type of document and whether your company participates in E-Verify.
Note: If you selected a DHS-approved alternative procedure to remotely verify documents, all presented documents must be uploaded, regardless of type.Scroll to the bottom of the module and select ⊕ Upload under the Document Upload section.
Upload clear, legible copies of the employee’s documents. You can upload the front and back of documents, rename them for clarity, and add additional files if needed.
Note: Once onboarding is completed, you will see the uploaded documents in the employee's profile under the Documents tab.
Select Next.
Review: Make sure all the information is correct, then select Next.
Sign: Sign the document and select Close.
Manage pending SSNs
Sometimes a new hire may not yet have their SSN at the time they complete Form I-9. To stay compliant with USCIS requirements, the system allows employees to select SSN is pending in Section 1.
This means:
The employee can still complete Section 1 and begin working.
You, as the manager, can review Section 1 and complete Section 2.
The Create E-Verify case option will remain blocked until the SSN is provided.
Once the SSN is available, you can notify the employee to update their I-9, and then continue with E-Verify.
If an employee selected “SSN is pending” when completing Section 1, you’ll notice:
A yellow Pending SSN banner in the task list.
Section 2 can still be completed and marked complete.
The Create E-Verify case button will stay blocked until the SSN is updated.
Notify the employee to update their SSN
From the I-9 module, select Notify team member to provide SSN.
Confirm the action. This will send the employee an email notification asking them to resubmit Form I-9 with their SSN once available.
If the SSN is still pending, you can use Notify again at any time to send another reminder.
❔Once the SSN is updated
Section 1 will automatically restart for the employee.
After they resubmit with their SSN, the Create E-Verify case option will unlock.
All changes and corrections are logged in the audit history, which you can view under the History tab in the team member’s profile for compliance tracking.
Create and submit an E-Verify Case
Once the Form I-9 module is reviewed and approved, GMs can move forward with creating an E-Verify case to confirm the employee’s eligibility to work in the U.S. Keep in mind that once you create an E-Verify case, you can't update it.
If you need to edit anything, restart the module and have the employee or manager update the relevant details.
📌 Make sure you have the 'View full details (SSNs, DOBs, direct deposit information)' permission in Team Management to create E-Verify cases. If you don't have access to this setting, reach out to your Super Admin.
Here's how to create an E-Verify case:
Go to the Form I-9 module in Onboarding
In team view, go to the Onboarding section, then select Overview.
Go to the In progress tab, then select View tasks or Start tasks next to the relevant team member.
Initiate E-Verify process
Go to the Form I-9 (with E-Verify) section.
In the Create E-Verify case section, select Start to begin the E-Verify creation process.
Review all pre-filled information to ensure it’s complete and accurate.
Once everything is confirmed, select Create Case in the upper-right corner to submit the E-Verify case.
Review E-Verify case results
After an E-Verify case is created, an initial status will appear once E-Verify has reviewed it, as shown in this section.
？ The status is different from what you see below? Here’s how to handle cases that need your attention.
Review is pending
You’ll see a 'Waiting for E-Verify' message. To stay updated, check back regularly and select Refresh case status.
Submitted E-Verify case that's still pending
E-Verify status is "Employment confirmed"
Status may change based on E-Verify’s review and the information in their records. If the status of an E-Verify case is ‘Employment confirmed,’ the module is complete and there’s nothing you need to do.
Submitted E-Verify case with an 'Employment confirmed' status