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.
If your organization does not use E-Verify, you'll still need to complete both sections of the Form I-9 — your employee fills out Section 1, and you complete Section 2 by physically examining their identity and work authorization documents.
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
Onboard your new hires
The first step is for the GM to initiate 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 module.
📌 Access needed: To access onboarding, you need to have the Manage onboarding permission. If you don't have access, please reach out to your Super Admin.
Help employees complete the Form I-9 module
The 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 needs 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)
After completing personal information, select Next to continue.
Complete Citizenship or Immigration Status
Indicate work authorization status. Select the option that applies:
A citizen of the United States
A noncitizen national of the United States
A lawful permanent resident — enter their USCIS A-Number.
A noncitizen authorized to work — enter the expiration date and one of the following:
USCIS A-Number
Form I-94 Admission Number
Foreign Passport 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 confirming 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 a reviewer to take action promptly.
Assigned reviewers 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 section.
Review Section 1
In New hire submission, select View.
Review the information submitted by the new hire and make sure it's correct.
Complete Section 2
You must physically examine the employee's identity and work authorization documents in person (or via a DHS-approved alternative procedure) before completing this section.
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.
Document uploads are optional for employers not participating in E-Verify, depending on the type of document. If you choose to upload copies, scroll to the bottom and select ⊕ Upload under the Document Upload section.
Upload clear, legible copies of the employee's documents if applicable. 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.
When another reviewer is completing Section 2
More than one reviewer can be assigned to a new hire's Form I-9 Section 2, but only one person can complete it at a time. Workstream shows you who currently holds the form and lets any assigned reviewer take it over if needed.
See who's working on the form
If another reviewer is already completing Section 2, you'll see "{Name} is working on this step" instead of being able to edit it. This tells you the form is already in progress, so you don't fill it out only to get blocked at the end.
Take over Section 2
If the reviewer who holds the form can't finish it — for example, they're off shift, have left the company, or started it by mistake — another assigned reviewer can take over:
On the Section 2 step, select Review.
In the takeover confirmation dialog, confirm that you want to take over the form.
Section 2 is reassigned to you and reopens fresh, so you can complete it yourself — no support ticket needed.
📌 Every takeover is recorded in the audit log — including who took over and when — so there's always a clear I-9 compliance trail.
❔What happens next?
Once Section 2 is signed and submitted, the Form I-9 module is complete. You can download the completed form and view the full audit trail in the team member's profile under the Documents tab.