Under the Onboarding menu within the I-9 Forms inbox, you'll find details of the Document Verification result. The following outlines the action to take on the result of submissions.
VERIFIED SUBMISSIONS
If the submission from the employee is verified, it will appear in the applicable I-9 Forms tab with a ‘Verified’ tag (indicated in green):
There is no additional action required for verified submissions. The details of the verification can be viewed by clicking on the 'Verified' badge. These results can also be seen with the Form I-9 submission.
Note: Verification will only show for documents that are applicable for verification. It is still advised that you review your verified documents to ensure accuracy.
SUBMISSIONS UNABLE TO VERIFY
An admin may need to take action in WorkBright when a document fails the checks and Document Verification is unable to validate the document. You will not receive any notifications, but you will see these listed with an ‘Unable to Verify’ tag (indicated in red).
The 'Unable to Verify' status can occur for several reasons, including issues with document clarity, such as blurry images or unreadable barcodes, technical errors during the upload process, or documents that require manual review due to compliance checks. This status does not necessarily mean the document is invalid or that the employee is unauthorized to work, but rather serves as a prompt for administrators to review the document manually and decide on the next steps.
If you click on the ‘Unable to Verify’ status, it will slide out a window to review the document. From here, you can confirm you have reviewed the document by clicking the ‘Mark as Reviewed’ button (indicated in blue).
Above this button, you will see an option comments box where you can write comments as needed, as it pertains to the review. Below this button in the status box, you can view the checks that passed/failed by clicking on ‘Show Checks’. This can also be done via the employee’s profile if you navigate to their I-9 submission.
Administrators can decide whether to mark the document as reviewed or request a new submission from the employee, depending on the organization's compliance preferences.
Upon clicking ‘Mark as Reviewed’, the status will update with the ‘Reviewed by Admin’ tag, seen below.
This review is only a confirmation that you have reviewed the document and does not update the Form I-9 that it is attached to. If there are additional steps you need to make on the submission, they must be done on the Form I-9 itself. (ex: Accept or Reject)
NOTE:
It is up to you, as the Employer of Record, to make the decision to accept any document(s) provided. Any checks that did not pass may or may not be an indication of fraud, mistake, or misrepresentation. Please review any associated checks and select ‘Mark as Reviewed’ and include any optional comments. It is at your discretion whether to proceed with employment, request a new submission, or terminate employment in consultation with your own internal counsel and the USCIS Handbook for Employers.
The 'Unable to Verify' status is an informational flag and does not mean the employee is unauthorized to work. It serves as a notification for further action and does not prevent the I-9 from being sent to E-Verify automatically.
AUDIT TRAIL OF ADMIN ACTION
You'll be able to see the verification status ‘Verified’ (indicated in green) as well as the admin action ‘Reviewed by Admin’ (indicated in blue) and comments, if made, in the Form I-9 inbox:
For Document Verification users from March 12, 2025 (03/12/2025) and before, you will still have your previous submission indicated with the ‘Approved by Admin’ (indicated in blue) for accepted documents and ‘Declined by Admin’ (indicated in blue) for rejected documents. These historic selections will be filterable and found under the ‘Reviewed’ filter.
You can click on the verification status to open a side window to give you details such as Status, Show Checks, Date, Reviewed by Admin, and Comments, if any.
FILTERING FOR DOCUMENT VERIFICATION STATUSES
A WorkBright admin can filter for different verification statuses within all tabs except Missing or Rejected:
DOES REVIEW IN DOCUMENT VERIFICATION ALTER THE RESULT OF FORM I-9?
'No, this will only update the status in Document Verification and does not certify acceptance/rejection of Form I-9.
If you have a Section 1 review required for your I-9 submissions, you will still need to 'Accept' or 'Reject' those in the inbox. Likewise, in Form I-9 if Section 2 is incomplete, the employee will still need to proceed with that step to have an I-9 which is truly 'Complete'.
What should I do if a paper I-9 is uploaded?
Paper I-9 uploads do not automatically trigger E-Verify processing. These documents remain in the WorkBright system for audit purposes. To create an E-Verify case, you must do so manually in your E-Verify account and upload the closed case into the employee's supplemental files. Alternatively, you can request a remote reverify or reject the submission and have the employee complete the I-9 electronically.
Can I proceed without marking 'Unable to Verify' documents as reviewed?
Yes, you can proceed without marking these documents as reviewed. The status will remain as 'Unable to Verify,' but it will not impact the overall process. It is up to the employer to decide whether to review or request a new submission.
