Who is a preparer/translator?

A preparer/translator is a designated proxy user who can help the New Hire in completing Form I-9 Section 1. They are invited by the New Hires to participate in the onboarding process for completing the Section 1 activity.

How to send an invite to a new preparer/translator?

The default selection on the I-9 Section 1 page for the preparer/translator option will be "I did not use a preparer or translator." To make the preparer/translator section visible in I-9 Section 1, this default option should be changed to "A preparer(s) and/or translator(s) assisted the employee in completing Section 1". If there are preparers already added in Section 1, the list will show in the Preparer/Translator dropdown.

If new preparer has to be invited, click on the "Invite New Preparer" button.

This will display Preparer/Translator Invitation page where the preparer's details First Name, Middle Name, Last Name, Phone and Email ID can be entered. The values entered in these fields must be valid.

Below are some validation messages that may be encountered while completing this page.

If non-alphabetical characters are entered in the name fields, the following error will appear upon field change::

If alphabetical characters are entered in the Phone field, the following error will appear upon field change:

When email format is entered wrong, the following error will appear upon field change:

After entering values in the following fields, click on the "Invite" button.

Click "OK" on the message to confirm sending an invite to the user.

The following message confirms the email has been sent to the preparer. Close the following message.

Given below is an example of an email invitation. The new preparer can start their Smart Onboarding self registration by clicking on the "Start I-9 Process" link.

After the invitation has been sent, the user's name is added to the preparers list on the Section 1 form as shown below.

How many preparers/translators can a New Hire invite?

A New Hire can invite as many preparers and/or translators as they want in I-9 Section 1. However, in the print reports i.e in Supplement A only eight preparers/translators details can be displayed.

How to add preparers/translators in Section 1 activity?

When the radio button is selected for preparers/translators assistance, the preparers appear in the drop down list. 

Select the name of the preparer to whom you want to assign Section 1 activity. This will populate preparer's name details in the designated section.  

If more preparers need to be added, click on the "Add Preparer" button. Another designated section will be added under preparers section. Select the name of the preparer from the drop-down list.

After adding all the preparers, click the "Save" button. Unless Section 1 is saved, the preparer(s) will not have access to the transaction. 

Before saving make sure the eligibility type is selected. Otherwise, you will be prompted to select your eligibility.

Note: In case the preparer has to be removed from Section 1, use "Delete Preparer" option provided in the designated section. This will remove the designated section added for the preparer.

Note: Once the preparer completes Section 1 (completes electronic signature), the preparer cannot be deleted from Section 1 activity.

What is the preparer's/translator's process flow?

Below shown is the regular login homepage for the preparer. The Section 1 activity shows open for the preparer, only when the preparer's name is added and saved in New Hire's Section 1 activity.

Click on the "I-9 Section 1" link under Outstanding Tasks.

The Section 1 activity opens as given below. Enter the data, upload attachments (optional) and electronically sign the form. The "Save" button can be used if you wish to save the data and sign the form at a later time, 

If the address details are not entered, the following error message displays on the page when the activity is saved or electronically signed.

The same procedure has to be followed by all the preparers to complete Section 1 activity. Once the preparer completes the electronic signature, the New Hire cannot delete the preparer from Section 1.

The New Hire can see the completed activity of the preparer(s) on Section 1 activity.

What will be the Section 1 data when multiple preparers/translators are added?

When multiple preparers make changes to Section 1 data and sign the forms, the latest data of the effective dated/sequenced row will be reflected on the New Hire's Form I-9. The New Hire will not be able to sign the form and complete the activity until all the preparers complete their electronic signature. 

How the New Hire completes Section 1 activity after preparers/translators complete their Section 1?

When Section 1 activity is assigned to preparer(s), the "I Agree" checkbox will remain disabled for the New Hire until all the preparers complete their Section 1. 

Only after the Section 1 signature is completed by all the preparers, the "I Agree" checkbox will be enabled and New Hire will be able to sign the form. 

Upload attachments if necessary, check "I Agree" and then click the "Electronically Sign" button.

After completing the activity, New Hire cannot invite/add any new preparer. However, the Section 1 information will still be editable for New Hire until Submit to HR is complete.

The Section 1 report with the preparer data in Supplement A is shown below. The Supplement A form will be available in print only if preparers/translators exist in Section 1.

What happens to the already linked preparer's/translator's access if the New Hire chooses not to use any preparer/translator?

If a New Hire decides not to use preparers/translators who have already been linked to the I-9, they can simply switch the option under "Preparer and/or Translator Certification" to "I did not use a preparer or translator" and revoke their associated invitations. The New Hire has the ability to revoke the preparer's invitation until the preparer completes their I-9 Section 1 signature. However, once the preparer completes the Section 1 signature, the New Hire cannot revoke their associated invitations.

As an example, consider a couple of preparers are added in Section 1 grids as shown below. 

When the preparer option is toggled to "I did not use a preparer or translator" and the transaction is not saved:

In this case, though the preparer option is toggled to "I did not use a preparer or translator'" under "Preparer and/or Translator Certification", the preparer invitation will not be revoked in Section 1/Invitation Personalization since the transaction is not saved.

When the preparers option is toggled, the following message appears on the page. When "Yes" is chosen, the preparer data will be removed from the grids.

However, the preparers will remain accessible in the preparer/translators drop-down list when toggled the option back to "A preparer(s) and/or translator(s) assisted the employee in completing Section 1". In this case, invitations for these preparers will not be revoked.

If "No" option is chosen on the warning message, there will be no impact on the preparer data. The preparers added in the grid will remain unchanged. 

When the preparer option is toggled to "I did not use a preparer or translator" and the transaction is saved:

The preparers' invitations whichever are added in the grid will be revoked when the preparer option is toggled to "I did not use a preparer or translator" under "Preparer and/or Translator Certification" and saved.

In this example, two preparers are added in the grid and saved.

When the preparer option is toggled to  "I did not use a preparer or translator", the following message displays on the page. Confirm the action by clicking on "Yes" and save.

If the preparer option is toggled back to "A preparer(s) and/or translator(s) assisted the employee in completing Section 1", you will not see the previously added preparers in the preparer/translators drop-down list.

Also, the invitations for these preparers will get revoked. This can be verified on the "Manage Proxy Invitations" page under Invitation Personalization. For more details on the Invitation Personalization, please click here.

For navigation, select "Invitation Personalization" in the left menu navigation.

Click on the "Manage Proxy Invitation(s)" link.

You will notice invitations are revoked for the above preparers.

The revoked preparers will not have access to the system. Also, the self registration link provided in the welcome email will not work.

In case, if preparers try to access the self registration page through this link, they will see the following error message on the page.

How to invite a preparer/translator in correction processes like I-9 Section 1 Correction or SSN Update ?

The method for inviting a new preparer/translator in correction processes such as I-9 Section 1 Correction or SSN Update is similar to the procedure discussed earlier in this section. However, these additional processes inherit the preparers/translators associated with the main process. This implies that if preparers are used in Section 1 of the primary onboarding process, they are also accessible in the correction processes. The New Hire can opt for the preparers inherited from the primary process or invite new preparers as necessary for completing Section 1.

How do you manage preparers/translators through Invitation Personalization?

The New Hires can perform 'Resend Welcome/Revoke' actions on the preparers/translators invitations through Invitation Personalization. For more details, please click here.