How to Fill Out Form I-9 With a Permanent Resident Card

A Permanent Resident Card makes Form I-9 straightforward: it is a List A document, meaning it proves identity and work authorization at the same time, so nothing else is needed alongside it. To fill out Form I-9 with a Permanent Resident Card, the employee completes Section 1 by checking the “lawful permanent resident” box and entering the USCIS Number (A-Number) from the card, and the employer completes Section 2 by physically examining the original card and recording it in the List A column within three business days of the first day of work for pay.¹

Filling Out Section 1 as a Permanent Resident

Section 1 is the employee’s part. You can complete it any time after accepting the job offer, but no later than your first day of work for pay.² You sign it under penalty of perjury.

Enter your full legal name, any other last names you have used, your current address (a street address or a P.O. box is acceptable), and your date of birth in month/day/year format.³

Then check the box for “lawful permanent resident” and enter your USCIS Number. This is the same as your Alien Registration Number: a seven-to-nine-digit number assigned by the Department of Homeland Security.⁴ You will find it on the front of your Permanent Resident Card labeled “USCIS#” or “A#.”⁵

The Social Security number field is voluntary in most cases. If your employer uses E-Verify, though, you must provide it, because E-Verify confirms work authorization electronically using that number.⁶ If you have not yet been issued an SSN, your employer can contact E-Verify for guidance.

False statements on the I-9 carry real weight. Using a fraudulent document or making a false attestation is punishable by up to five years in federal prison, and forging or counterfeiting a green card can carry up to 10 years for a first or second offense and up to 15 years for additional offenses.⁷

You Choose Which Documents to Show

You are not required to present your green card. Form I-9 gives three lists of acceptable documents (List A, List B, and List C), and the choice is yours. An employer cannot tell you which document to bring or ask for more documents than the form requires.⁵ You could, for example, hand over a state driver’s license (List B) and an unrestricted Social Security card (List C) instead.

An employer who demands a specific document or rejects documents that reasonably appear genuine engages in what federal law calls unfair documentary practices, which violates the anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act.⁸ If you believe this has happened, you can file a charge with the Department of Justice’s Immigrant and Employee Rights Section or call the Worker Hotline at 1-800-255-7688.⁹

What the Employer Records in Section 2

The employer, or an authorized representative, must physically examine the original Permanent Resident Card and complete Section 2 within three business days of the first day of work for pay. Start on Monday, and Section 2 must be finished by Thursday. For jobs lasting fewer than three business days, Section 2 must be done on day one.¹⁰

Because the green card is a List A document, the employer fills in only the List A column and leaves List B and List C blank.¹¹ The entries are:

Document Title: Permanent Resident Card
Issuing Authority: United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
Document Number: the number printed on the card
Expiration Date: the date printed on the front of the card. Some older cards issued between 1977 and 1989 carry no expiration date and remain valid indefinitely.

The card must reasonably appear genuine on its face and relate to the person presenting it. If it looks clearly fraudulent, the employer must reject it and ask for different acceptable documentation. Photocopies are not accepted in place of the original. The employer then signs and dates Section 2.

Expired, Lost, or Not-Yet-Issued Cards

An expired Permanent Resident Card cannot be accepted on its own as a List A document for a new hire, but several combinations work.

Expired Card Plus a Form I-797 Receipt

If you filed Form I-90 to renew your card, USCIS issues a Form I-797 receipt notice. The expired card together with that receipt is a valid List A document, and the employer does not need to reverify you later.¹² The same is true if you filed Form N-400 for naturalization and received an I-797C notice that automatically extends the card’s validity.

Lost, Stolen, or Damaged Card

If your card is lost, stolen, or damaged, you can present a receipt showing you applied for a replacement. That receipt is valid for 90 days from your first day of work, and within that window you must present either the replacement card or other acceptable I-9 documentation.¹³

Temporary I-551 Evidence

A new permanent resident who has not yet received the physical card may have a foreign passport with a temporary I-551 notation printed on the machine-readable immigrant visa. This counts as a List A document and is valid for one year from the date of admission.¹¹ Unlike a standard green card, temporary I-551 evidence does require the employer to reverify when it expires.

When Reverification Does and Does Not Apply

This is one of the most misunderstood parts of the process. Employers are not required to reverify a lawful permanent resident when the green card expires, and should not do so.¹⁴ Permanent resident status does not expire when the card does; the card is the physical proof, not the status itself. Asking an LPR to reverify because the card expired can amount to document abuse and expose the employer to discrimination claims.¹⁵

Reverification is required in two situations. The first is temporary I-551 evidence, which the employer must reverify using Supplement B before it expires.¹² The second is when the employee presented an expired card together with a Form I-797 receipt for a conditional-residence petition (Form I-751 or Form I-829); reverification must happen before that extension ends.

Fixing Mistakes on the Form

When an error turns up in Section 2 or Supplement B, the employer draws a line through the incorrect entry, writes the correct information nearby, and initials and dates the correction, with a brief written explanation attached.¹⁶ A few rules apply:

Never use correction fluid or erase text. Concealing changes increases liability during an audit.
Do not backdate. If a date field was left blank, enter the current date and initial it.
Only the employer or authorized representative may correct Section 2 or Supplement B. The employee corrects any errors in Section 1.
If entire sections were left blank, or Section 2 was completed using unacceptable documents, the employer can complete a new I-9 and attach it to the original with a written explanation.

Once complete, the employer must keep the I-9 on file for three years after the date of hire or one year after employment ends, whichever comes later, and produce it for inspection by DHS, the Department of Labor, or the Immigrant and Employee Rights Section on request.⁵

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification
2
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Completing Section 1, Employee Information and Attestation
3
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-9 Questions and Answers
4
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. A-Number/Alien Registration Number/Alien Number
5
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification
6
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Special Rules for E-Verify Users
7
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1546 – Fraud and Misuse of Visas, Permits, and Other Documents
8
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1324b – Unfair Immigration-Related Employment Practices
9
United States Department of Justice. Immigrant and Employee Rights Section
10
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Completing Section 2, Employer Review and Attestation
11
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. 13.1 List A Documents That Establish Identity and Employment Authorization
12
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. 7.1 Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR)
13
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. 4.4 Acceptable Receipts
14
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. 6.0 Completing Supplement B, Reverification and Rehire of Form I-9
15
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Penalties
16
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Correcting Errors or Missing Information on Form I-9