Overview
Form I-9 is a mandatory US federal requirement — every employer must verify the identity and employment authorization of each person they hire. Firstwork streamlines this by embedding I-9 collection, document verification, and E-Verify case creation directly into your hiring flow. This guide walks through how to structure your I-9 verification process for high-volume hiring.How I-9 Verification Fits Into a Hiring Flow
A typical US hiring flow places I-9 verification after onboarding forms and before final approval: I-9 verification is typically split across multiple pages to handle the distinct sections of the form and the different parties involved (candidate vs. employer).Step 1: Collect I-9 Section 1 (Candidate)
Create an Onboarding page that collects the candidate’s I-9 Section 1 data. This includes:[!TIP] Use compliance rules on the citizenship status field to conditionally show the correct document upload pages. For example, foreign nationals need different documents than US citizens.
Recommended page structure
Create separate pages for document uploads based on citizenship status, using compliance rules to route candidates:- I-9 Details and Documents — Collects citizenship status and routes accordingly
- Date of Birth Confirmation — Validates DOB matches documents
- Social Security Number Confirmation — Validates SSN
- I-9 Document Upload — Uploads supporting identity/work authorization documents
Step 2: Set Up Document Upload with OCR
On the document upload page, configure Document Upload elements for the accepted I-9 documents:List A Documents (Identity + Work Authorization)
- US Passport or Passport Card
- Permanent Resident Card (Green Card)
- Employment Authorization Document (EAD)
- Foreign Passport with I-94
List B + C Documents (Identity + Work Authorization separately)
- List B: Driver’s license, state ID, school ID
- List C: Social Security card, birth certificate, employment authorization document
[!TIP] Enable OCR on document upload elements to automatically extract data from uploaded documents. Use compliance rules to cross-check extracted data (name, DOB, expiry) against the candidate’s self-reported information.Configure each document upload element with:
- Enable OCR — Automatically extract text from uploaded documents
- Detect doctored documents — Flag potentially altered documents
- Capture required — Require camera capture for photo ID documents
Step 3: I-9 Section 2 (Employer Verification)
Create an I-9 Verification page that is admin-only (not visible to candidates). This page is where your team verifies the documents presented. Options for employer verification:[!TIP] For remote workers, consider using I-9 Physical Verification as a separate page where a remote authorized representative can verify documents in person and confirm via the platform.
Step 4: Connect E-Verify
After I-9 completion, trigger E-Verify case creation automatically using an automation:Create an automation
Go to Automations and create a new automation linked to your hiring flow.Set the trigger
Use a Form Element Submission trigger that fires when the I-9 verification page is completed.Add E-Verify case creation action
Add an E-Verify action that creates a case using the candidate’s I-9 data.Handle results with follow-up automations
Create additional automations for:- Employment Authorized — Move candidate to the Approved stage
- Tentative Non-Confirmation (TNC) — Route to a TNC Resolution page
- Draft cases — Auto-submit draft cases on a schedule
- Photo match — Fetch and compare E-Verify photos
Example: E-Verify automation chain
A typical chain of automations to fully automate the E-Verify workflow:Step 5: Handle State-Specific Requirements
Many US states have additional employment verification requirements beyond federal I-9. Use Module-type hiring flows to create reusable state-specific compliance packages:[!TIP] Use an Integration element of type “Hiring Flow Module” on your State Specific Onboarding page. Set up compliance rules to automatically route candidates to the correct state module based on their work location.
Step 6: Set Up Recollection for Expiring Documents
Work authorization documents expire. Set up automated recollection to stay compliant:Configure recollection templates
In your hiring flow settings, create recollection templates for document expiry — target the document upload elements (EAD, work permit, etc.).Create a scheduled automation
Set up a Schedule Trigger automation that runs daily, checks for documents expiring within 90 days, and triggers recollection.Set reminder cadence
Configure reminder schedules at 90, 60, 30, and 7 days before expiry to ensure candidates re-submit updated documents in time.Step 7: Push Data to Payroll / ATS
After I-9 and E-Verify are complete, sync the data to your external systems:Best Practices
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Separate I-9 into distinct pages - Keep document collection, employer verification, and E-Verify on separate pages for cleaner compliance tracking and audit trails.
- Use OCR and AI verification - Enable OCR on all document uploads and use AI agents to cross-validate extracted data against candidate-entered information.
- Automate E-Verify end-to-end - Chain automations for case creation, photo matching, TNC resolution, and case closure to minimize manual intervention.
- Plan for recollection - Set up expiry-based recollection from day one — don’t wait until documents are already expired.