U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has begun using a new secure blue ink for many of its secure stamps.
The older secure red ink was retired and is no longer used by USCIS. You will now see the following list of stamps with secure blue ink:
- Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Parole Stamp
- Temporary I-551 Alien Documentary Identification and Telecommunication (ADIT) Stamp
- Refugee Stamp (Section 207)
- Asylum Stamp (Section 208)
- Initial / Replacement Form I-94 Stamp
Employers should be aware of this recent change in secure ink color when examining acceptable documents presented by employees during the Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification process. Lists of acceptable documents appear on the last page of Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification.
Employers cannot reject an unexpired acceptable document presented by a worker, nor can they specify which documents they will accept. Learn more about acceptable documents here.
Employers are reminded that they must accept the documents presented by a worker when completing Form I-9 so long as those documents appear genuine on their face and relate to the person presenting them.
I-9 audits occur frequently and can lead to hefty fines. Get our I-9 Compliance Kit today to help you verify employment eligibility properly.