Sterling and ID.me launch virtual US employment eligibility document review service

Sterling Check Corp. has partnered with ID.me to launch a virtual I-9 document review service. The service will be integral to Sterling’s existing I-9 solution, with ID.me Trusted Referees assessing documents virtually, securely, and conveniently, according to the announcement. This innovation will allow employers to remotely comply with employment eligibility requirements for new hires.

Dispensing with the conventional in-person review conducted by an employer or a third-party notary, ID.me’s professional Trusted Referees will be on standby to undertake secure virtual document review on the employer’s behalf. The ID.me Trusted Referees are trained and vetted to Department of Commerce standards for identity proofing as stipulated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and already used by 14 federal and 35 state government agencies.

The virtual document review service will be exclusively available to both new and existing Sterling I-9 clients who are E-Verify users in good standing. The entirely remote process, capable of being completed in as little as 5-10 minutes, aligns with DHS and USCIS requirements. All documents examined by ID.me Trusted Referees will be securely stored with other I-9 documents in the Sterling system for employers’ auditing needs.

Josh Peirez, CEO of Sterling, acknowledged the need for a more modern, secure I-9 document verification process, stating, “Sterling’s new virtual review service will redefine the I-9 document verification experience for the virtual work environment.”

Blake Hall, CEO of ID.me, praised the DHS for modernizing onboarding processes and stated, “Our Trusted Referees are expertly trained to examine identity documents, and this service can help thousands of employers to efficiently comply with DHS requirements by leveraging video chat to complete Form I-9.”

Article Topics

background checks  |  digital identity  |  document verification  |  ID.me  |  identity verification  |  Sterling Check  |  U.S. Government