Employers in the United States will see minor revisions to Form I-9 and E-Verify starting in 2025, as U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) updates language to better align with federal statutes.
The revised Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, now uses the term “An alien authorized to work” in Section 1. This replaces the previous phrasing, “A noncitizen authorized to work,” to reflect terminology in U.S. immigration law, USCIS said.
The language had changed from “alien” to “non-citizen” under the administration of former President Joe Biden in 2023, reflecting a wider effort to move away from the word “alien” across federal immigration-related departments.
The change will also appear in E-Verify and E-Verify+ starting April 3, 2025. Employers creating cases in those systems will now see “An alien authorized to work” as the corresponding option. If an employee attests to being “A noncitizen authorized to work” on Form I-9, employers must select “An alien authorized to work” in E-Verify, the agency said.
The latest version of Form I-9 carries an edition date of Jan. 20, 2025, and an expiration date of May 31, 2027. While this form is now available for use, previous editions remain valid:
- The 08/01/23 edition is valid through May 31, 2027.
- The 08/01/23 edition with a July 31, 2026, expiration remains acceptable until that date. However, employers using this version must update their electronic systems to reflect the May 31, 2027, expiration by July 31, 2026.
Additional revisions to Form I-9 include updated descriptions for two List B documents in the Lists of Acceptable Documents and a revised Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Privacy Notice in the instructions, USCIS said.
E-Verify users who create cases through Web Services platforms will see automatic updates in employee status attestation. If an employee selects the fourth citizenship status on Form I-9—“An alien authorized to work”—that term will be transmitted automatically, even if the original submission used older language.
This update does not affect Interface Control Agreement (ICA) version 31.1. However, USCIS recommends that Web Services developers adjust their platforms as soon as possible to reflect the new terminology.
