Completing Your I-9: Human Resources - Northwestern University

Completing Your I-9

As a new Employee at Northwestern, you must complete both Section 1 and Section 2 of Form I-9. Form I-9 is used to verify the identity and employment authorization of individuals hired for employment in the United States.

The form consists of two sections:

Section 1: Employee Information and Attestation is completed by the Employee using the I-9 Service Center. Directions for Section 1: new employee Section 1 Directions .
Section 2: Employer Review and Document Verification is completed during a meeting with a Northwestern Human Resources Representative. Below are the options for how an employee can complete Section 2 and the documents required for that meeting.

As a federal contractor, Northwestern also participates in E-Verify as required by law; this means that your Form I-9 information is provided to the federal government to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. For more information, see the E-Verify Participation notice and the federal Right to Work poster.

Deadlines for Form I-9 Completion:

You may complete your I-9 after you accept your job offer at Northwestern, but not before.

Section 1 must completed by the end of first day of employment. New employees will need to create a user account in the I-9 Service Center to do Section 1.
Section 2 must be completed by end of the 3rd business day after the first day of employment (i.e., if first day is Monday, Section 2 must be done by end of day Thursday).

Employees who do not complete Section 2 by this deadline will be required to stop working immediately until Section 2 is complete. If not completed by the 7th business day,, the employee will be terminated and must be re-hired following completion.

Required Documents for Section 2

List of Acceptable Documents for U.S. Citizens and Legal Permanent Residents.
List of Acceptable Documents for Foreign Nationals (also see Onboarding Checklist for new hires).
Employees must have the original documents available during the Section 2 meeting. Scans, copies or photos of documents are not accepted.
Foreign Nationals must also submit the FNIS Request Form to fntax@northwestern.edu to ensure proper tax setup, including eligibility for any tax treaties.

Section 2 Meeting Options: In-Person or Remote

In-Person Meeting

You can complete Section 2 with an in-person meeting with an I-9 Administrator. Most departments have designated I-9 Administrators available for Section 2 Document Verification meetings. Consult with your hiring department or the I-9 Compliance Officer from your school or unit to determine whether that is an option. Alternatively, employees can meet with a Human Resources representative at the askHR Office for Section 2 meetings. askHR times and locations listed below.

Walk-in locations for I-9 services.
Evanston Location & Hours 1800 Sherman Avenue, 1st Floor (Suite 1-100) Evanston, IL 60201 Monday-Friday, 8:30am-5:00pm CST Walk-Ins Accepted, No appointment necessary!	Chicago Location & Hours 710 N. Lake Shore Drive (Abbott Hall, Room 150) Chicago, IL 60611 Wednesdays, 10:00am-3:30pm CST Thursdays, 10:00am-3:30pm CST Walk-Ins Accepted, No appointment necessary!
Both office locations are closed during University Holidays (see full list).

Remote Meeting

You can complete Section 2 with a live video call meeting with a Human Resources representative. Some departments have a designated staff member who can meet with employees for the Document Verification step for Section 2. Consult with your hiring department directly to see if that is an option. Scans of acceptable documents must be sent before meeting.

Alternatively, employees can meet with a member of the askHR Team for a remote meeting. Select a tab below to explore other options for completing Section 2.

Remote Appointment with askHR Staff

Employees complete the I-9 Section 2 document verification via a live video call appointment with a Human Resources askHR staff member.

Process for a RemoteAppointment:

Employee completes Section 1 of Form I-9.
Employee submits a request for a remote appointment and uploads documents for review and uploads documents for review.
Employee must upload both front and back of all the documents they will use for verification.
Human Resources notifies the employee of confirmed remote appointment.
Employee meets with askHR staff member via a live video call. Employee holds up the original version of verification documents to the camera during the call.
Employee notifies hiring department once their I-9 has been completed.

IMPORTANT: Do not submit multiple requests for appointments. Employees will receive an email notification once the request has been reviewed/approved.

Visit the Employee I-9 FAQ Page for topics regarding which documents to use, troubleshooting uploads, scheduling appointments, etc.

Public Notaries (Traditional)

Employees can use a public notary to complete Section 2 or 3 of their Form I-9. A notary is an officer of integrity who serves as an impartial witness in performing official, fraud-deterrent acts related to the signing of important documents.

Process for using a Notary:

Employee completes Section 1 of Form I-9 and then identifies a notary who can meet in person to serve as the authorized agent to complete the I-9.

Employee sends the notary’s full name and email address to askHR@northwestern.edu.
Human Resources will set up the notary in the I-9 Service Center and email instructions to the notary.
Employee presents original documents to the notary during an agreed-upon time and the notary completes the I-9 form.
Employee notifies hiring department once their I-9 has been completed.

IMPORTANT: Northwestern guidelines do not allow video conferences when using a notary. Both parties must meet in person and if any fees accrue, they will not be reimbursed by the University.

Individuals are not allowed to complete the I-9 until they are physically in the United States. U.S.-based hires that are initially located abroad must wait until they enter the U.S. to complete this process, and their hire date must be coordinated accordingly. Departments that are hiring foreign national employees can reach out to the Foreign National Tax Team (fntax@northwestern.edu) for additional questions or concerns.

The University generally does not permit work to be performed from remote locations outside of the United States, except under very limited circumstances. Schools/Units are required to consult with their respective HR Business Partner (staff) or the Office of the Provost (faculty) before approving a current employee to perform work from a remote location outside of the U.S. or before extending an employment offer to an employee who will not be physically residing in the U.S. when they begin working, regardless of whether it is on a temporary or permanent basis.

There are various factors to consider when determining if an employee (U.S. citizen or Foreign National) needs to complete a new I-9.

US citizens and permanent residents who are rehired will need to complete a new I-9 if the hire date listed on their previous Form I-9 is older than 3 years ago.
Permanent residents will need to complete a new I-9 if their previous I-9 was completed before they were permanent residents. Nonresidents will always need to complete a new I-9. Seasonal employees who have a reasonable expectation to return on a cyclical basis to the same position do not need to complete a new I-9 upon return.
Email your I-9 Compliance Officer or Human Resources to confirm if a new I-9 is needed. If you do need to complete a new Form I-9, you will need to create a new account in the I-9 Service Center.