I-9 & E-Verify At Vanderbilt

The I-9 Process

All employees hired on or after November 7, 1986, whether US residents or internationals, must complete a Form I-9 and provide documents to show that they are eligible for employment in the USA.  The I-9 must be completed by the new employee and verified by I-9 personnel at one of Vanderbilt's designated I-9 sites.  Additional information about this process can be found at the Vanderbilt I-9 homepage.  HR Processing maintains the I-9 form for each employee. 

International employees are employees who are not US citizens, US nationals or permanent residents. All Vanderbilt-sponsored international employees must complete their I-9 with a VISIT immigration advisor.  VISIT is located in the Student Life Center,  International Suite (Student Life Center.  Vanderbilt-sponsored international employees are all employees in these visa statuses:   H-1B, TN, E-3, O-1 and J-1 (Housestaff only). 

All other international employees, including F-1 and J-1 students and scholars (but not J-1 Housestaff) must complete their I-9 with HR Employee Service Center at 2525 West End Avenue.  HR Employee Service Center can be reached at i9@vanderbilt.edu  and additional information about the I-9 process can be found at http://hr.vanderbilt.edu/i9/.

The E-Verify Process

Vanderbilt University is an E-Verify employer.  As an E-Verify employer, Vanderbilt participates in the federal government's E-Verify program.  When a new employee completes an I-9, information provided on the I-9 form is sent to the Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) and/or the Social Security Administration (SSA) for verification.  Please note that employees hired on or before November 6, 1986 and employees who have federal security clearance are exempt from the E-Verify process. 

E-Verify Process for All Existing Vanderbilt Employees

Read VISIT's Memo About the Vanderbilt I-9 & E-Verify Project

On April 4, 2010 Vanderbilt became an E-Verify Federal Contractor. In order to comply with the federal contractor regulations, we must, at a minimum, verify the employment eligibility of all employees (any faculty, staff, and student employees) assigned to a federal contract. If those employees cannot be easily identified, Vanderbilt can elect to verify all employees.  Vanderbilt has elected to verify all existing employees in order to ensure we meet our obligations as a federal contractor. 

This verification process will simplify the I-9 administrative process and treat all employees in a consistent fashion. With the expansion of the verification process, Vanderbilt will review the most recent I-9 form on file for each employee. If the information on file does not meet current I-9 requirements, HR Processing will contact the employee to provide updated information and, if needed, a new I-9 form. If the employee is an international employee, VISIT will be responsible for the completion of the new I-9 form.  A VISIT advisor will contact the employee and arrange a time for I-9 form completion.

Please bear in mind that as we go through this verification process, you may be contacted to complete a new I-9.  We recognize that this may be an inconvenience but the process has been streamlined to minimize any inconvenience.  It will take only a few minutes of an employee's time to go to the appropriate Vanderbilt I-9 site and complete a new I-9.  Some of the E-Verify requirements that may trigger the need to update or complete a new I-9 include:

1. You provided an unexpired permanent residence card (I-551) on a previous Form I-9 but that document has now expired.
2. You provided an expired document on a previous I-9 that allowed for such documents, but they are no longer permitted.
3. Your employment authorization card has expired.
4. You previously provided a document that didn’t have a photo or we are unable to determine if it had a photo.
5. You previously provided a naturalization certificate that was acceptable at the time but is no longer acceptable for I-9 purposes.
6. You have changed your immigration status.
7. You have changed your name.
8. Your previous I-9 was incomplete and did not comply with I-9 requirements at the time of completion.
9. You previously stated that you were a non-citizen National of the USA but the I-9 previously completed did not allow you to attest to this status.

 Things you can do now to avoid questions during the E-Verify process are:

• Notify the Social Security Administration (SSA) of name changes (e.g. a married name) or changes in citizenship status to ensure that your SSA file has accurate information and that your Social Security number (SSN) reflects your legal name.
• Sign on to C2HR, Vanderbilt’s secure on-line system for human resource information, to verify your name is spelled correctly and your immigration status is correct.

Special Information About E-Verify for International Employees

All international employees who are contacted to complete a new I-9  must do so at the VISIT office with a VISIT advisor.  In addition, if DHS requires additional information about an immigration document, you will be contacted by VISIT and an appointment will be scheduled to address DHS' concerns.   

Special Information for F-1 International Students on Optional Practical Training (OPT)

As Vanderbilt is an E-Verify employer, F-1 students with OPT who have received a degree in a STEM field, are entitled to the STEM-OPT extension.  F-1 students who qualify for the 17-month OPT extension should note that Vanderbilt University’s E-Verify ID Number is 240840. Should you have questions about the STEM-OPT extension, please contact your DSO and visit our Employees Working Under OPT or STEM-OPT page.

Go to I-9 & E-Verify FAQs