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 invite to a new preparer/translator?

The default selection for the Preparer/Translator option on the I-9 Section 1 page is "I did not use a preparer or translator". To display the Preparer/Translator section in I-9 Section 1, change this option to "A preparer(s) and/or translator(s) assisted the employee in completing Section 1". If any preparers have been added, they will appear in the Preparer/Translator dropdown.

If new preparer need to be invited, click 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 are validated, and appropriate error messages will appear if any of the values are invalid.

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 the "Invite" button.

Click "OK" on the message to confirm and send the invitation 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 self registration by clicking on the "Start I-9 Process" link.

Once the invitation is sent, the user's name will be added to the list of preparers on the Section 1 page.

How many preparers/translators can a New Hire invite?

A New Hire can invite as many preparers and/or translators as needed in I-9 Section 1. However, in the Supplement A page of the print reports, which is designated for preparers/translators, only up to eight preparers/translators can be displayed..

How to add preparers/translators in the Section 1 activity?

All preparers/translators who have been sent invitations will appear in the dropdown list. Select the name of the preparer to whom you want to assign the Section 1 activity. This will automatically populate the preparer's details in the designated section.

If additional preparers need to be added, click the "Add Preparer" button. This will create another designated section in the preparers section. From the dropdown list, select the name of the preparer to be added.

After adding all the preparers, click the "Save" button. The preparers will not have access to the transaction unless Section 1 is saved.

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

Note: If a preparer needs to be removed from Section 1, use the "Delete Preparer" option in the corresponding section. Once the preparer completes Section 1 (completes their electronic signature), they can no longer be deleted from the Section 1 activity.

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

Below is the regular login homepage for the preparer. The Section 1 activity will be open for the preparer only when their name has been added and saved in the New Hire's Section 1 activity.

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

The Section 1 activity opens as shown below. Enter the required data, upload any attachments (optional), and electronically sign the form. If you wish to save the data and sign the form at a later time, you can use the "Save" button. 

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

All preparers must follow the same procedure to complete Section 1. Once a preparer completes their electronic signature, the New Hire cannot delete that preparer from Section 1.

The New Hire can view the completed activity of the preparers, including the electronic signature and the populated address details in the 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 most recent data from 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 preparers have completed their electronic signatures.

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

When Section 1 activity is assigned to preparers, the "I Agree" checkbox will remain disabled for the New Hire until all preparers have completed their Section 1.

Only after all preparers have completed their Section 1 signatures will the "I Agree" checkbox be enabled, allowing the New Hire to sign the form. If attachments are configured as mandatory in I-9 activities, you will be prompted to upload attachments if none have been uploaded by the preparers/translators.

To complete the Section 1 activity, check the "I Agree" box 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 the New Hire until the Submit to HR activity is complete.

Where can you find the preparer/translator details in the print reports?

In the print reports, the preparer data can be found on the Supplement A page. This page will only be available in the printout if preparers/translators were used in Section 1.

A sample print from Section 1 is provided below:

What happens to the access of already linked preparers/translators if the New Hire chooses not to use them?

If a New Hire decides not to use preparers/translators who have already been linked to the I-9, they can simply change the option under "Preparer and/or Translator Certification" to "I did not use a preparer or translator" and revoke the associated invitations. The New Hire can revoke the preparer's invitation until the preparer completes their I-9 Section 1 signature. However, once the preparer has completed the Section 1 signature, the New Hire can no longer revoke their associated invitations.

For example, consider a scenario where a couple of preparers are added in the 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, even if the preparer option is switched 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 until the transaction is saved.

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

However, the preparers will still be accessible in the preparer/translators dropdown list if the option is toggled back to "A preparer(s) and/or translator(s) assisted the employee in completing Section 1" as the invitations for these preparers are not 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 invitations for the preparers listed in the grid will be revoked when the preparer option is switched to "I did not use a preparer or translator" under "Preparer and/or Translator Certification" and the changes are saved.

When the preparer option is switched to "I did not use a preparer or translator," the following message will display on the page. Confirm the action by clicking "Yes" and then save the changes.

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

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

To navigate, select "Invitation Personalization" in the left menu.

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 during 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 means that if preparers are used in Section 1 of the primary onboarding process, they will also be accessible in the correction processes. The New Hire can choose from the preparers inherited from the primary process or invite new preparers as needed to complete Section 1.

How do you manage preparers/translators through Invitation Personalization?

The preparers/translators added in Section 1 can be managed through Invitation Personalization. Once the preparers are invited, their list will be displayed under Invitation Personalization for the New Hire. The New Hire can perform "Resend Welcome" or "Revoke" actions as needed through this option. For more details, please click here.