Policies, Procedures, & Executive Orders  |  Forms  |  Directory
U.Va. Human Resources
UVa HR CIS: Offsite New Hire Employment Verification
(I-9) Instructions
Offsite New Hire Employment Verification (I-9) Instructions

1. The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 requires that all employers verify the identity and work authorization of all individuals, whether U.S. citizens or not, hired after November 6, 1986. Employers comply with this mandate by completing Form I-9 for all newly hired employees.

Note: I-9s are not required for newly-hired employees physically performing services outside the U.S.. Departments are required to complete an I-9 should such employees return to the U.S.

2. When hiring a person in a remote location to work in a remote (offsite) location (a location other than the University Grounds in Charlottesville, Virginia, College at Wise, Wise, Virginia, or other official worksites such as Falls Church, Richmond, Hampton Roads, Roanoke, or Abingdon, Virginia, staffed by University employees) where University employees are not physically present to complete Form I-9, special procedures are necessary. Federal regulations governing the I-9 process permit an employer to designate an authorized agent such as a licensed Notary Public to carry out the employer’s I-9 responsibilities.

3. The University permits departments and/or newly hired employees to seek the services of a licensed Notary Public for this purpose. As a designated agent for the University for I-9 compliance, the Notary should follow the same rules for completing the I-9 as a University hiring department (See #4 below), and complete the Notary form.

4. The Notary should verify that the employee has fully completed and signed/dated section 1 of Form I-9 prior to completing section 2 on behalf of the University. The employee must present to the Notary a suitable set of identification papers as set out in the “List of Acceptable Documents” page of the I-9. The Notary may not specify which document(s) from the “List of Acceptable Documents” they will accept from the employee.

The employee may present either:
  • Any one document from List A or
  • Two documents, one from List B (identity) and one from List C (eligibility).
The Notary should complete Section 2 of Form I-9 (“Employer Review Verification”). There are spaces to indicate which document or documents are presented and their associated information. This includes: document title, issuing authority, document number and expiration date (if any). All fields on the form must be completed. Notaries should be aware that only original documents may be accepted for review; faxes, photocopies, and laminated social security cards are unacceptable.

The Notary also needs to complete the Certification part of section 2 of Form I-9 as follows:
  • sign the Authorized Representative section and enter “Authorized Representative” in the “title” field
  • date the form as of the date documents have been reviewed
  • do not fill in the beginning of employment date; the department will fill in that date
  • the University of Virginia and the department’s address (provided by the hiring department or the employee) should be entered in the “business or organization” field
  • affix the Notarial seal on the Form I-9 (In affixing the Notarial stamp, the Notary is attesting only that the employee has signed section 1 of Form I-9, and to the genuineness of the documents presented as they relate to the person presenting them; University Human Resources-Compliance and Immigration Services will make the ultimate decision on the employment eligibility of the employee).
5. The Notary should fax the Form I-9 and the document(s) presented by the employee to the hiring department as soon as the Form I-9 has been completed.

6. The hiring department will enter the start of employment date in section 2 of Form I-9 and forward the materials to HR-Compliance and Immigration Services (HR-CIS) for review and final determination as to eligibility for employment. Should HR-CIS determine that the Form I-9 has not been correctly executed, or that the identification papers submitted do not appear to meet Form I-9 requirements, HR-CIS will contact the hiring department and request additional information or further action.

7. Hiring departments, employees, or Notaries should contact Human Resources-Compliance and Immigration Services with any questions at (434) 924-4393 or email Christine Langford (crf6b@virginia.edu).