About Authorized Representatives
If necessary to ensure timely completion of Form I-9, an Authorized Representative may be designated to complete Section 2 or a Section 3 reverification on behalf of a unit I-9 Manager. The I-9 Manager is still ultimately responsible for ensuring accuracy, completeness, and timeliness.
An Authorized Representative must perform all required employer duties, understand the obligation, and take the responsibility seriously. The Authorized Representative must be chosen carefully because the University of Illinois System will be held responsible for their actions. The university may refuse any person from acting as an Authorized Representative. Employees cannot act as authorized representatives for their own Form I-9.
Selecting an Authorized Representative
In order of preference, the individuals listed below may be designated as Authorized Representatives. For 1 through 3, an I-9 Manager should be available to answer any questions. For 4 through 5, it is strongly recommended that an I-9 Manager be on the phone with the Authorized Representative as they inspect documents and complete Section 2 or 3. Note that some professionals provide this service for a fee and any cost incurred is at the employee’s own expense.
- Another I-9 Manager or employee with I-9 training who is employed by the U of I System (Central HR office staff, foreman, clerical staff)
- A person with I-9 knowledge and training at another organization (Former employer, another college or university, local office of a state agency)
- A professional whose typical job duties include confidentiality, compliance, or otherwise suggest understanding the obligation of completing an I-9 (Notary, lawyer, accountant)
- A colleague or coworker may be used if the new hire’s role is at a location where, or performed at times when, other employees are present, but an I-9 Manager is not available (Hospital staff, night shift, certain student services, field research)
- An adult person over age 18 who is not a family member or household member of the new hire (Neighbor, friend, clergy)
For assistance locating an appropriate Authorized Representative, contact your central HR office for recommendations.
I-9 Manager Approval
After the Authorized Representative completes their role, the Unit I-9 Manager must login to the electronic I-9 system to thoroughly review and approve the completed Form I-9. If any errors were made, the Unit I-9 Manager must reject Section 2 (or 3) and work with the employee and/or the Authorized Representative to correct the form.