Onboarding Foreign Nationals

This guide walks a foreign national onboardee through the tasks they complete as part of Duke's Onboarding process and shows business units how to engage with onboarding by completing Form I-9. Share these instructions with new hires so they can complete required onboarding tasks effectively and efficiently.

Kristin Coombs
71 steps
3 minutes

When working with foreign national hires, consider the following: - If the individual has not previously worked in the United States, they will not have a Social Security number; therefore, Duke has a process in place to hire them without one. - Once the foreign national new hire has been in the US for 10 days, they will need to visit the local Social Security Administration office to apply for a Social Security number. - Once foreign nationals apply for and receive their Social Security number, business units must update SuccessFactors. - See the **Onboardee's Next Steps When Social Security Number is Available** section of this document for details. - To ensure compliance with immigration requirements, Visa Services completes Part 2 of the I-9 for all foreign nationals. - Federal and state tax documents may not be completed during onboarding, as paper forms may be required. Foreign nationals may claim tax treaties, if eligible, once they receive their Social Security number. - Onboarding should present a specific foreign national form where they can provide a history of the visa types and dates they have previously been in the US. This information is important to determine appropriate taxation. - There are known instances when the information in the form does not present to the foreign national. If this occurs and the foreign national notifies the business unit, please submit the [Foreign National Form](https://finance.duke.edu/payroll/forms/#fnes) to Corporate Payroll Services via the [Payroll Incident Management System](https://finance.duke.edu/departments-services/controllers-division/corporate-payroll/payroll-request/). If the foreign national does not notify the business unit, Corporate Payroll Services is integrated into the foreign national onboarding business process and will reach out to the foreign national directly to get this information. - Hire iForms will not process automatically until the I9 process is complete. If the onboardee does not have a Social Security number prior to their start date, contact Elizabeth Staton ([elizabeth.staton@duke.edu](mailto:elizabeth.staton@duke.edu)), who can manually close the iForm. - The business unit is responsible for ensuring the I9 and E-Verify are complete for all onboardees regardless of when they receive their Social Security number. Visa Services is involved only in the initial I-9 review and is not involved when the foreign national receives their Social Security number after Duke hires them.

If a foreign national has a social security number, they can follow the steps in the [Completing Required Onboardee Tasks Quick Reference Guide](https://scribehow.com/o/GMDQMboCSgCDgj3pui6TDA/viewer/Completing_Required_Onboardee_Tasks__3OxrZrwQQQejMJaC6heMZQ?referrer=documents). The only exception is that Visa Services completes part 2 of the I-9.

Welcome to the Onboarding Application

The onboarding process begins when a member of the Onboarding Team successfully selects **Initiate Onboarding** in the SuccessFactors Recruitment module. This action sends the Welcome to the Onboarding Application email to the foreign national.

After successful onboarding initiation, the foreign national receives an email that outlines required actions. These actions include the following: - Creating a password using the username included. - Logging into the New Employee Onboarding Portal. - Completing the onboarding steps and e-signing all required forms.

In the New Employee Onboarding Portal

Using the link in Step 2 of the email above, you (the foreign national) create a password. Once you have created the password, the screen below displays where they should log-in and enter the password.

The **New Employee Onboarding Portal** homepage displays your **Required Tasks** under **For You Today.** Select **Provide Personal Details**. Alternatively, you can select the **Home** drop-down at the top of the page and click **Onboarding.**

The **Onboarding Checklist** on the left-hand side serves as a progress check-in as you complete the required tasks. The checklist is organized in trays. As you move through the checklist, each tray will unlock.

A checklist item becomes **Overdue** if today's date is greater than the Work Start date. In this example, the Onboarding Data Collection is 16 days overdue from the Work Start Date.

**Please note:** The due date displayed is system-generated and may not reflect the requirements of your business unit. Please follow the due dates communicated by your business unit. For Duke Health, the onboardee must complete all steps the Friday before their start date.

Provide Personal Data

In the **Provide Personal Data** section, confirm or enter required personal information. Select **Continue** to work through the information. Information should be self-explanatory, and all fields highlighted with an asterisk are required.

Under the **National ID Information** area, in the **Country/Region** field, select **United States** from the drop down. If you are a foreign national without a Social Security number, select **Applied For** in the **National ID Card Type** field. If you are a foreign national with a Social Security number, select Social Security Number in this field and enter your number.

In the **National ID** field, enter the placeholder 999-99-9999 as the Social Security number. If you are a foreign national with a Social Security number, enter your Social Security number.

If the foreign national does not select **Applied for** in the **National Id Card Type** drop-down menu and the 999-99-9999 is used, the system will display an error message. Updating the National ID Card Type field to Applied for will correct this issue.

In the **Is Primary** field, select **Yes**. Then select **Continue**.

Continuing in the **Provide Personal Data** section, enter the **Legal Sex (Gender)**.

In the **Nationality** field, select the Nationality from the drop-down.

In the Global Information section, the **Country/Region** defaults to United States. Select the status from the drop-downs for **Ethnicity, Ethnic Group**, and **Disability Status**. These fields are required. Select the **Citizenship**. For this example, **Non Residen**t is selected. Continue entering the personal data information. Select **Continue** to move forward.

In the **Payment Information** area, select **No** as foreign nationals are not allowed to enroll in direct deposit until they have a valid Social Security number. Select **Submit** to move to the next section.

You will be able to change your banking information through the Duke@Work Employee Self Service portal once you begin working and receive your social security number.

For Rehires

**Please note:** If you are a rehire from previous Duke employment, after you submit the **Provide Personal Data** section, the Onboarding team will verify data before you can continue. A message will appear on the left-hand side of the Onboarding Checklist informing you that the task is currently locked. Once verified, you will receive an email notification and can continue to the next task in the Onboarding Checklist.

Provide Additional Data

In the **Provide Additional Data** section, complete the mandatory compliance information. Next to **Pending**, select the arrow (caret) to review policies, make selections or provide acknowledgments as required. Select **Submit**.

Complete e-Signature of Confidentiality Agreement and Other Documents

In the **Complete Your E-Signature** section, carefully review and e-sign each required form. Next to **Pending**, select the arrow (caret) to review forms and required acknowledgments. Click to **Sign** and select **Submit** as instructed on each document.

Once e-signed, you may download the forms and continue working through the **Onboarding Checklist**. Once the **Onboarding Data Collection** is complete, **Compliance Tasks** will be available on the Onboarding Checklist.

Compliance Tasks

Complete all required compliance forms. These can include: - Form I-9 Section 1 - United States Federal Form W-4 - Employee's State Withholding Certificate The onboardee will review, certify by checking the **Employee's Consent Statement**, and **Submit** the forms.

Form I-9 Section 1

Complete **Section 1 of Form I-9**.

If changes need to be made to personal information, select **Correct My Personal Data** if available. If this button is unavailable or inactive, you can update personal information in the Duke@Work Employee Self Service Portal on the My Profile tab after your start date.

In the **Type of Citizenship** section, select the appropriate citizenship status. **Please note:** Screenshots in these steps will vary based on the citizenship type you select. The screenshot below indicates an alien authorized to work as the status.

In the Work Authorization Expiration Date field, enter the expiration date (if applicable). Provide the required document information.

In the **Upload Employment Eligibility Verification Documents** field, upload the necessary documents from **List A** or **List B** and **List C.**

Please note: Acceptable document types are typically PDF and image files (JPEG, GIF, PNG). You will see the list of valid file types and the size limit in the document upload dialog box when accessing the task.

Review and select the **Employee's Attestation Stateme**nt and select **Submit**.

Foreign national employees cannot submit the **W-4 Employee Withholding Certificate or NC Employee Withholding Allowance Certificate** without a Social Security number. Taxes will be defaulted based on the required withholdings. If the foreign national is eligible to claim a tax treaty, they can work with Corporate Payroll Services to do so once they have a Social Security number. Work with your business unit for guidance.

If you have questions about completing the tax forms, please reach out to your tax advisor. Duke staff cannot advise any employee on how to complete tax forms.

Complete e-Signature of Compliance Forms

In the **Complete Your E-Signature** section, carefully review and e-sign each required form and select Submit to continue to the next task. Next to **Pending**, select the arrow (caret) to review forms and required acknowledgments. Click to **Sign** and select **Submit** as instructed on each document.

You can download a copy of the e-signed I-9 Section 1 form if needed.

Once you've completed the available tasks, the sections of the Onboarding Checklist will show **Completed** and appear in green. For foreign nationals, expect the United States Federal Form W-4 and NC Employee's Withholding Allowance Certificate to be incomplete, since they will be completed once the individual receives a Social Security number.

Completing Section 2 of Form I-9 - Visa Services

Visa Services completes part 2 of Form I-9 for all foreign national hires. The individual should work with this business unit and coordinate an in-person visit to Visa Services to complete this part of the process. Business units must follow up diligently to ensure this happens.

From the Onboarding Homepage, select **Onboarding** from the drop-down.

From the Onboarding Dashboard, search for the onboardee's name in the **New Hire** field. You can also search by other filters as needed. Once located, select **Go**.

Select the caret (arrow) on the far right to view the **New Hire Details**.

On the New Hire Details page, in the **Form I-9 and E-Verify** section, select **Start** to begin completing the **Form I-9 Section 2**. If necessary, before completing Section 2 of the form, click on the **Department of Homeland Security Form I-9 Instructions** hyperlink to view the instructions.

The onboardee confirms the **Employee Information in Section 1**. The fields are greyed out, and no action is required.

Select the New Hire's Citizenship or Immigration Status by answering the questions listed.

In the **New Hire Employment Eligibility Document Review** section, review the uploaded document(s).

Following your review of the onboardee’s identity and employment authorization documents, select the documents reviewed from the list. In this example, for **List A**, a foreign passport was presented, which requires the **Issuing Authority**, **Document Number**, and **Expiration Date**.

Required information varies based on the document types presented by the onboardee. Read the screen carefully for specific instructions.

Continue answering the questions. If the person is remote, you'll use Duke's remote process and check the box below.

In the **Employer's Attestation Statement**, review and select the box. Select **Submit**. A success message will appear.

Complete e-Signature on Compliance Forms of Section 2 of I-9

Select **Start** to e-sign the Compliance Forms.

Next to **Pending**, select the arrow (caret) to review the form and e-Sign.

After e-signing the document, you can download or save. You will receive an email confirming the I-9 is completed, e-signed and submitted.

Onboardee's Next Steps When Social Security Number is Available

In addition to the steps below, the business unit must complete a Personal Data Change iForm to update the employee's Social Security number in SAP. Units must securely provide Corporate Payroll Services with a copy of the Social Security card to support the iForm.

Once the U.S. Social Security number arrives, the foreign national onboardee will need to enter their Social Security number in the New Employee Onboarding Portal and complete the remaining required onboardee tasks. After logging into the New Employee Onboarding Portal, under **Compliance Tasks** of the Onboarding Checklist, select C**omplete Form I-9 Section 1 Awaiting SSN** to add the valid U.S. Social Security Number. Select **Correct My Personal Data**.

The Warning message pop-up window appears. To correct your information, select **OK** to continue.

In the **National ID Card Type** field, select **Social Security Number** from the drop-down. In the **National Id** field, enter your U.S. Social Security Number. In the **Is Primary** field, select **Yes**. Select **Continue**.

Select **Continue** on each screen to continue processing the change. On the final screen, select **Submit**.

In the Confirmation window, select **Confirm** to save changes.

In the Success message window, select **OK**.

Next, in the Complete Section 1 of Form I-9, the valid Social Security number appears.

Scroll to the bottom to review and acknowledge the **Employee's Attestation Statement**. After reviewing, check the box and select **Submit**. A success message will appear.

It's time to e-sign Form I9 Section 1. Select **Complete e-Signature on Compliance Forms** to access the form. Select the caret next to **Pending** to open the form.

After reviewing the form, select **Submit** to e-sign.

To download a copy of the form, select the download icon or **Download All**.

The last tasks to complete are the state and federal tax documents. Select **United States Federal Form W-4** on the left-hand side of the checklist. Your Social Security number will appear in the SSN field. Complete the **Exempt from Withholding** fields.

Review and acknowledge the **Employee's Consent Statement**. After review, check the box and select **Submit**. A success message will appear.

Select **NC Employee's Withholding Allowance Certificate** or the state tax document applicable to your state. This example is specific to North Carolina. Review and complete the document.

At the bottom of the form, review and acknowledge the **Employee's Consent Statement**. After review, check the box and select **Submit**. A success message will appear.

Select **Complete e-Signature on Compliance Forms** to review and e-sign your federal and state tax documents. Select the caret (arrow) next to **Pending** to open each document.

After reviewing each form, select **Submit** to e-sign.

Once you’ve completed all tasks, the Onboarding Checklist sections will show **Completed** and appear in green. You can select the **Explore Onboarding Guide** and see contact information about the Onboarding Team.

You will receive an email notification confirming they have completed, e-Signed, and submitted the documents.

Complete Form I-9 Section 2 and E-Verify

The hiring business unit should complete the steps below. Visa Services is not responsible for updating the social security number in Part 2 of the I9.

Now that the onboardee has provided the Social Security number and completed all onboarding tasks, the business unit must review and complete Form I-9 Section 2 and E-Verify. On the **New Hire Details** page, in the **Form I-9 and E-Verify** section, select **Start** to begin completing **Form I-9 Section 2**.

The onboardee confirms the **Employee Information in Section 1**. The fields are greyed out, and no action is required. In the Social Security Number field, you will see the Social Security number listed.

At the bottom of the form, review and acknowledge the **Employee's Attestation Statement**. After review, check the box and select **Submit**. A success message will appear.

It's time to -sign the Form I-9 Section 2 Documents. In the **Form I-9 and E-Verify** section, under **Complete e-Signature on Compliance Forms**, select **Start**.

Select **Submit**. A success message will appear. You will receive an email notification confirming the I-9 is completed, e-signed, and submitted.

From the **Onboarding Details/New Hire Details**, you can see that all **Form I-9 and E-Verify** Tasks have been completed.

E-Verify: Create and Submit - Late Completion

The E-verify process must be completed within 3 days after a new hire begins working. When this is not completed on time, this task will be considered overdue. In the **New Hire Details**, in the Form I-9 and E-Verify section, **Complete E-Verify: Create and Submit**, select **Start**.

In the **Manual Form I-9 and E-Verify Process** window, in the **Select a Reason for Delay** drop-down, select a reason and select **Submit Case**.

An **E-Verify** pop-up message appears notifying the E-verify case is closed and the final case status of your new hire is **EMPLOYMENT_AUTHORIZED.** Select **OK**.

Please note: Cases should only be closed with an E-Verify response of Employment Authorized. If you receive a **Tentative Non Confirmation Result,** you will need to click the **Resolve Case** button and ask the new hire if he/she plans to contest the results (recommended since the new hire cannot remain on the payroll if employment is not authorized through E-Verify). For assistance with Tentative Non Confirmation Result, please contact HR Information Center @ 919-684-5600.

From the **Onboarding Details/New Hire Details**, you can see all **Form I-9 and E-Verify** Tasks have been completed. Additionally, if you wanted to view the **E-Verify Case Details**, select the hyperlink.

Once reviewed, select **Close** at the bottom right hand corner.

If the Onboarding Team has questions during this process, University and School of Medicine users should contact [**recruitment@duke.edu**](mailto:recruitment@duke.edu)[**.**](mailto:recruitment@duke.edu) and Duke Health users should contact [**DUHSTAPreboarding@duke.edu**](mailto:DUHSTAPreboarding@duke.edu)[**.**](mailto:DUHSTAPreboarding@duke.edu)

Quick Tips - Onboarding Foreign Nationals

- The Hire iForm for a foreign national without a Social Security number does not automatically close because the I-9 process is incomplete without one. To ensure this process is managed appropriately, do the following: - Contact Elizabeth Staton at [elizabeth.staton@duke.edu](mailto:elizabeth.staton@duke.edu) and request that the Hire iForm be manually closed. - Ensure the employee goes to the Social Security Administration office and applies for a Social Security number. Visa Services provides the appropriate documentation for the application process. They have 30 days to apply. - The employee and the business unit must complete the I-9 and E-Verify steps in Onboarding once the employee receives their Social Security number to ensure compliance. Failure to complete this process is noncompliant with federal requirements and could result in government fines for the business unit (up to $6,000 per incident). - Once they receive their Social Security number, the employee must return to SuccessFactors Onboarding and upload their Social Security number in Part 1 of the I-9, as outlined in the image below. - Once the employee completes Part 1, the business unit will receive a prompt to upload the Social Security number to Part 2 of the I-9. Visa Services is NOT responsible for this part of the process. - SuccessFactors Onboarding automatically initiates E-Verify once the employee and business unit enter the Social Security number. E-Verify should close with work authorization. Business units must add the employee's Social Security number to their employment record in SAP. Submit a Personal Data Change iForm and a copy of the employee's Social Security card to Corporate Payroll Services. Submit Social Security cards securely to Corporate Payroll Services via a strongbox process. Contact Corporate Payroll Services at 919-684-2642 for assistance.

Appendix A: Form I-9 Out of Compliance - Late Completion

Per federal regulations, Section 1 of the I-9 must be completed by the employee on or before their first day of work and the employer must complete Section 2 within three business days of the employee's first day of employment. In the event the I-9 is non-compliant with this timeline, an explanation in the **Reason** area is required. If the form is non-compliant, this warning message will appear immediately once you select the form from the Homepage or once **Start** is selected from the New Hire Details. Please review the warning message, provide your **Reason** in the warning prompt by typing in your reason and select **Proceed to I-9 Section 2** to complete the form.\*\*

On the Onboarding Dashboard, in the **Form I-9 and E-Verify** column, you will see a red indicator notifying you this task is overdue when you have a non-compliant I-9 form.

Onboarding Foreign Nationals

Kristin Coombs
71 steps
3 minutes