Form I-9, E-Verify, and GatorStart

As required by federal law, the University of Florida (UF) must complete Form I-9 for each individual hired for employment in the United States. The Form I-9’s purpose is to verify an employee’s identity and work authorization in the United States.

• All UF employees complete Form I-9 through GatorStart, UF’s electronic onboarding system.

An employer may only require an employee to complete a Form I-9 when an offer has been made to and accepted by the employee. Requiring an employee to complete the form prior to accepting an offer is unlawful and considered as discriminatory by the United States Custom and Immigration Services (USCIS). For additional information, visit the USCIS I-9 Central webpage.

Who Should Complete a Form I-9?

Form I-9 is required of anyone who receives salary or wages from the University of Florida. This includes anyone participating in clinical trials as well as those who receive additional payments.

Who Does Not Need to Complete a Form I-9?

Form I-9 is not required of those who provide labor but are employed through contract services (e.g., temporary agencies or employee leasing) and those who do not physically work on U.S. soil. Courtesy Faculty, Fellowships, and ISCR appointments are also exempt from completing the Form I-9.

The Handbook for Employers M-274  is an online resource guide to aid current and new HR department administrators in completing Form I-9 and E-Verify. This guide includes instructions on how to complete each section of the Form I-9, deadlines, retention rules, and examples of completed forms, how to correct errors, and acceptable documents employees can provide.

A few of these resources are provided by these quick shortcuts:

Section 1 | Section 2 | Reverification | Acceptable Documents

Form I-9 is a one-page form comprising two sections. Each section contains different requirements, and failure to comply would result in delayed hiring, transmission of incorrect data to USCIS for E-Verify purposes and civil penalties.

• Section 1 must be completed by the employee on or before the first day of employment.
• Section 2 must be completed by an authorized university representative within three business days of the employee’s start date.
• Form I-9 can be completed as soon as, but not before, a job offer has been extended and accepted.

Reviewing Documents to Complete Section 2 of Form I-9

• The employer cannot specify which documents an employee can use.
• Section 2 completers must review original documents (i.e. not photocopies of the original documents provided by the new employee).
• The new employee should not provide documents that have expired dates or utilize a work authorization document that have a condition or restriction
  • Example: Social security card that states “Not Valid for Employment,” “Valid for Work Only with INS Authorization,” or “Valid For Work Only With DHS Authorization.”
• I-9 documents cannot be emailed due to security reasons.
• The new employee cannot fill out any area of Section 2 of their own Form I-9.

Important: Section 2 cannot be submitted without the social security number in Section 1 of the I-9. For employees who may have a UF Temporary ID, the department must select the “Applied For SSN” option which will place their case in a queue; the message “I-9 is not eligible for E-Verify, missing some Section 1 data” will appear.

The department must update their case with the new SSN once received and submit to E-Verify as soon as possible–failure to do so does not confirm an employee’s work authorization. To update SSN and submit E-Verify case, login to I-9 Management > Search for Employees > Enter their name and search > Select employee’s name > Select Change SSN > Edit SSN > Continue

Virtual Inspection Procedure

If you choose to offer the alternative procedure to new employees at an E-Verify hiring site, you must do so consistently for all employees at that site. However, you may choose to offer the alternative procedure for remote hires only but continue to apply physical examination procedures to all employees who work onsite or in a hybrid capacity, so long as you do not adopt such a practice for a discriminatory purpose or treat employees differently based on their citizenship, immigration status, or national origin, such as by deciding that certain employees are not eligible for remote examination of their documentation.

1. Employee provides copies (front and back, if the document is two-sided) of I-9 documents or an acceptable receipt
2. Employer examines copies (front and back, if the document is two-sided) of I-9 documents or an acceptable receipt to ensure that the documentation presented reasonably appears to be genuine and relates to the employee
3. Employer conducts a live video interaction with the individual presenting the document(s) to ensure that the documentation reasonably appears to be genuine and relates to the individual
   • The employee must first transmit a copy of the document(s) to the employer (per Step 1 above) and then present the same document(s) during the live video interaction
4. Employer retains a clear and legible copy of the documentation (front and back if the documentation is two-sided)
5. Employer indicates that the Alternative Procedure was used when completing Section 2 in I-9 Management
   • On the I-9 (version 08/01/2023) check the box to indicate that you used an alternative procedure in the Additional Information field in Section 2

Authorized Representative Inspection Procedure

The following guidelines are for UF employees who will be working in a location where they do not have access to a UF facility within three business days of the employee’s start date. Remote hires must still follow the Form I-9 completion guidelines:

• Form I-9 can be completed as soon as, but not before, a job offer has been extended and accepted.
• Instruct the new employee to locate an HR professional to assist in the completion of Form I-9.
  • To locate someone near their area, please contact Employment Operations & Records with the zip code of the location the employee is at and EOR will provide a list of contacts.
• Section 1 must be completed by the employee on or before the first day of employment.
• Section 2 must be completed by an authorized university representative within three business days of the employee’s start date.
  1. Employee completes Section 1 of Form I-9
  2. Employee presents original document(s) to authorized representative
  3. Authorized representative examines document(s) and completes Section 2 of Form I-9
     • In certification area of Section 2, “First Day of Employment” must match start date (note: if start date is unknown, it may be left blank but must be filled in at later time)
     • Business name: University of Florida
     • Business address: 903 West University Ave., Gainesville, Florida 32603
       • Note: if authorized representative is a notary, the notary should not affix their seal to Form I-9
  4. Employee sends the original I-9 with copies of all documentation to UF hiring manager/HR representative
  5. UF Hiring manager/HR representative completes and submits E-Verify case in I-9 Management
     • Upload supporting documentation that the authorized representative completed and verified to the E-Verify case

Employees with expiring immigration status, employment authorization, or employment authorization documents should have the necessary application or petition filed well in advance to ensure they maintain continuous employment authorization and/or valid documents. USCIS provides employment authorization extensions under certain conditions. See Evidence of Employment Authorization for Certain Categories, for more information.

Reverification is never required for the following:

• U.S. citizens or noncitizen nationals
• Reverification is also never required when the following documents expire: U.S. passports, U.S. passport cards, Form I-551 (Alien Registration Receipt Cards/Permanent Resident Cards, also known as Green Cards), and List B documents

Departments may view employees with work authorization set to expire in the future by viewing the Visa Expiration Report. Navigation: Enterprise Analytics > Access Enterprise Analytics> Team Content > Human Resources Information > Workforce Information > Visa Status Expiration Report by Department

Step to Reverify

1. Meet with Employee and Review Documentation
   • An employee’s employment authorization must be reverified no later than the date their current work authorization expires. When doing so please follow the steps below to ensure the proper reverification processes are followed.
2. Employee reviews list of Acceptable Documents
3. Employee presents any List A or C document showing current employment authorization
   • Document must be valid if work authorization has expiration date
4. Employer reviews document to verify accuracy and authenticity
   • If social security card is provided as document, ensure it is not restricted
   • Certain receipts can be accepted for reverification; see the Acceptable Receipts table in Acceptable Receipts for more information
5. Employer completes Supplement B (formerly Section 3) on Form I-9
   • Enter employee’s full name at the top of Supplement B
     • If employee had a name change prior to last completed I-9, update applicable name in New Name field above reverification section.
   • Enter correct document title, number, and expiration date (if any)
     • If alternative inspection procedure was used, select checkbox
   • Enter name of employer or authorized representative, sign and date
6. Submit Form I-9 and supporting document(s) via the I-9 Reverification Portal
   • Cases with incomplete I-9 forms and/or missing work authorization may be denied

E-Verify is an online system that confirms employment eligibility based on a new hire’s Form I-9. E-Verify will electronically compare that information to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) databases, confirming one’s work authorization.

All federal contractors, including higher education institutions who receive federal contracts that include the E-Verify clause, are required to verify all new hires and existing employees on federal contracts via E-Verify.

Additional E-Verify information specific to UF can be found below; for specific E-Verify FAQs and resources, please see FAQ and Resources below.

• UF E-Verify #459186
• UF began requiring all employees be E-Verified in January 2010
• Breaks in service will require a new E-Verify case to be submitted in I-9 Management
• Employees on short work break, leave of absence, or transferring from one department to another do not have to be verified again unless their current work authorization is set to expire
  • E-Verify is not required; rather Supplement B on Form I-9 must be completed for those with work authorization set to expire in the near future.
  • Reverification is never required for U.S. citizens or noncitizen nationals. Reverification is also never required when the following documents expire: U.S. passports, U.S. passport cards, Permanent Resident Cards (also known as Green Cards), and List B documents. Other noncitizens may require reverification.

To initiate the E-Verify process, the department must create an electronic Personnel Action Form (ePAF) which will send the new hire a GatorStart packet to those with a paid appointment. Once the new hire completes GatorStart, Form I-9 is one section of their packet, the department must then verify and store copies of the document(s) the employee chose prior to completing Section 2 and submitting an E-Verify case.

E-Verify cases may be submitted one of two ways: 1) Navigating to a completed GatorStart packet and selecting “Complete I-9” or 2) Navigating to I-9 Management and searching by employee.

As a reminder, Section 1 (employee responsibility) must be completed on or before their first day; whereas Section 2 must be completed (employer responsibility) within three business days from the employee’s start date.

UF Temporary IDs

• Section 2 cannot be submitted without the Social Security Number (SSN) in Section 1 of Form I-9. For employees who have a UF Temporary ID, the department must select the “Applied For SSN” option which will place their case in a queue; the message “I-9 is not eligible for E-Verify, missing some Section 1 data” will appear.
• The department must update their case with the new SSN once received and submit to E-Verify as soon as possible–failure to do so does not confirm an employee’s work authorization.
  • To update SSN and submit E-Verify case, login to I-9 Management > Search for Employees > Enter their name and search > Select employee’s name > Select Change SSN > Edit SSN > Continue
• Departments can monitor who has an UF Temporary ID by running the following report
  • Navigation: Enterprise Analytics > Access Enterprise Analytics> Team Content > Human Resources Information > Workforce Information > Employees with Temporary SSNs

E-Verify Case Statuses

Once the hiring department completes Section 2, E-Verify will return a status that may indicate next steps for Employment Operations & Records. Departments should not proceed with closing out the following statuses as these will be managed by UFHR.

Case Statuses:

• Employment Authorized
  • Majority of cases are returned as this status and closed out automatically
• Photo Matching
  • Occurs if the U.S. passport/passport card, EAD card, or permanent resident card is used; departments must attach the copy of one of these documents if used for Section 2
• Unconfirmed Data
  • Possible mismatch between information on Form I-9 and DHS and/or SSA database
• Error – Request Help
  • Missing or has incorrect information such as UF TempID was used in lieu of SSN
• Pending Referral
  • Information did not match records available to DHS and/or SSA; additional action is required on the employee (UFHR will facilitate)
• Referred
  • Employee contacted DHS and/or SSA and the case is pending confirmation; E-Verify will automatically update the case to either Employment Authorized or Final Nonconfirmation

USCIS I-9 Central
USCIS Employer Handbook
E-Verify Poster (English/Spanish)
E-Verify Frequently Asked Questions
E-Verify Employee Rights and Responsibilities
E-Verify Right to Work Posters (English) | (Spanish)

GatorStart is the University of Florida’s electronic onboarding system for new employees. It is designed to expedite an onboarding experience that reduces physical paperwork while capturing timely information to comply with state and federal requirements.

Department’s access to GatorStart will depend on granting the HR user access to ePAF which is obtained after completion of two required courses with approval of the corresponding security role. The Department Security Administrator (DSA) must also assign the appropriate department identification number(s) under an employee’s security tree in order to have the access needed to view employees in their unit(s).

Required courses: PST093 Creating a UF Appointment & PST920 Managing ePAF 9.1

Required security roles: UF_EPAF_Department Admin or UF_EPAF_Level 1 Approver

Initiating GatorStart

GatorStart deploys at various points throughout the day shortly after a new hire ePAF is created; the typical timeframe ranges between 8am-6pm daily. Packets are only provided to those who will be paid employees of the University; unpaid appointments such as fellowships and courtesy faculty will not receive a packet. Packet types will vary based on the appointment type and whether an employee is a foreign national.

All appointment types will include the following sections in each packet:

• Form I-9
• EEO Survey
• ACA Consent
• W-2 Consent
• Direct Deposit
• State Residency
• Veteran’s Survey
• Intellectual Property
• Invitation to Self-Identify
• Florida Retirement System (FRS) – Certification Form
• W-4 (excluding foreign nationals)
  • May also include additional state tax form based on home address

Additional items that may be included are specific information on benefits and retirement pertinent to appointment type. For example, benefits information on GatorGradCare is included in the Graduate Assistant packets; whereas faculty have different information on benefits.

Foreign national packets will include information on federal withholding taxes and tax treaties; in addition to how UF Payroll & Tax Services utilizes the Foreign National Information System (FNIS) to make tax determinations.

Frequently Asked Questions
What Can Hiring Departments Do in GatorStart?