This is a demonstration only. The employee, dates, and documents are invented, and the Social Security number is a non-real placeholder — no real person's data appears on this page. Your own audit runs against your actual I-9s and is never published.
The sample form on the table
Here is the actual Form I-9 as it would sit in the file — a facsimile of the USCIS form for a completely fictional employee. The five findings are marked right on the form with red numbers 1–5; each one maps to the matching finding card below.
Employment Eligibility Verification
Department of Homeland Security · U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Every value above is invented. Jordan Everfake Rivera is not a real person, and XXX-XX-0000 is a placeholder, never a real Social Security number. This facsimile exists only to demonstrate what the audit catches.
What the audit flags — 5 findings
FreshVerdict applies a deterministic 2026 rule set to every field on the form. On this sample it returns five findings. Each one lists the error, why ICE penalizes it, and the USCIS-correct fix.
Section 2
Flagged: Employer signature and certification date in Section 2 are blank — the form was never signed off by the employer representative.
Why ICE penalizes this: ICE treats a missing Section 2 employer certification as a substantive violation, not a fixable technicality. It means there is no attestation that the employer physically examined the employee's documents, which is the core legal function of the I-9.
USCIS-correct fix: Complete Section 2 within 3 business days of the hire date. Because the form is now past that window, do NOT back-date it: sign and date it with today's actual date and attach a brief, signed explanatory note stating when the review actually occurred and why it was late. A documented, honest correction is a good-faith signal; a back-dated signature is fraud.
Section 2 · documents
Flagged: Invalid document combination: a List B document (state driver's license) was recorded, but the matching List C document was left blank — so the file shows identity only, with no proof of work authorization.
Why ICE penalizes this: List B establishes identity only. Without a List C document (or a single List A document that proves both), the I-9 does not actually verify employment authorization — an incomplete, citable Section 2.
USCIS-correct fix: Use a valid List A document alone (e.g., an unexpired U.S. passport, or a Permanent Resident Card), OR a List B identity document paired with a List C work-authorization document (e.g., a Social Security card without work restrictions, or a certified birth certificate). Never mix and match beyond the List A / List B+C rule. Re-examine the acceptable document(s) the employee presents and record the correct combination.
Section 3 / Supplement B
Flagged: The employee's temporary employment authorization expired and reverification in Section 3 (Supplement B) was never completed — the file shows an already-lapsed work-authorization date.
Why ICE penalizes this: Continuing to employ a worker past an expired authorization without reverifying is one of the clearest substantive violations, and it can shade into a 'continuing to employ an unauthorized worker' allegation, which carries far steeper per-worker penalties.
USCIS-correct fix: Reverify in Section 3 / Supplement B BEFORE the authorization expires — never after. Record the employee's new, unexpired document. Going forward, set a calendar reminder (or use a reverification tracker) for every expiring EAD so a lapse never recurs.
Form edition
Flagged: The form on file is an outdated Form I-9 edition that was no longer valid on the hire date.
Why ICE penalizes this: Using a superseded edition of the form is itself a citable paperwork error, independent of whether every field is filled in correctly — ICE checks the edition date printed on the form.
USCIS-correct fix: Use the current USCIS edition of Form I-9 in force on the date of hire (confirm the edition date on uscis.gov before onboarding). For an already-completed old-edition form, do not silently swap it; document the correction and complete a current-edition form where required, keeping both in the file with a dated note.
Section 1
Flagged: In Section 1 the employee left the citizenship/immigration-status attestation box blank — no status was selected.
Why ICE penalizes this: Section 1 is the employee's sworn attestation of work-authorization status. A blank attestation box means the most important field on the form is unanswered, which is a substantive Section 1 violation.
USCIS-correct fix: The employee must personally complete and sign Section 1 — including selecting exactly one citizenship/immigration-status box — no later than the end of their first day of work (Section 2 is then completed by the employer within 3 business days). Have the employee correct their own entry; the employer must never fill in Section 1 on the employee's behalf.
Why each finding matters in dollars: paperwork and substantive I-9 violations run $288–$2,861 per form under the 2026 civil penalty schedule, and knowingly hiring or continuing to employ an unauthorized worker runs far higher — up to roughly $28,619 per worker for repeat offenders. Because paperwork penalties are assessed per form, five findings on one I-9 is a preview of how a few hundred flawed forms can reach six figures. Model your own exposure with the I-9 penalty calculator.
Now run it on a real form — one I-9, no card.
Upload a single Form I-9 and get every error flagged in minutes, each with the USCIS-correct fix — exactly like the five findings above, but on your actual file.
Run a free I-9 self-audit →Sample audit FAQ
Is this a real employee's I-9?
No. Jordan Everfake Rivera is a 100% fictional employee created only to demonstrate the audit. The Social Security number is a non-real placeholder (XXX-XX-0000). Nothing on this page is a real person's data. Your own audit runs against your actual Form I-9s and is never published.
Is this legal advice?
No. FreshVerdict is a compliance software tool, not a law firm, and nothing on this page or in an audit report is legal advice. The tool flags paperwork errors on your Form I-9s and shows the USCIS-correct fix for each — the paperwork layer. It is designed to complement the immigration attorney you would call, not replace legal counsel. For an ICE Notice of Inspection, a knowing-hire allegation, or any complex situation, involve an attorney.
How is this different from what I'd get?
This page summarizes one fictional form for illustration. A real FreshVerdict audit scans every field on every I-9 you upload, flags each error like the five above, and gives the USCIS-correct fix for each finding — reproducibly, because the check step is a deterministic rule set, not a guess. The free single-I-9 scan flags one form in minutes, no account and no card.
Do these fixes guarantee I'm compliant?
No tool can guarantee that. The fixes shown are the USCIS-approved correction methods for these specific paperwork error types. Applying them correctly, keeping a dated remediation trail, and never back-dating are the good-faith levers you control. For complex situations or potential knowing-hire exposure, consult an immigration attorney.
FreshVerdict is a compliance software tool, not a law firm. Nothing here is legal advice. The sample employee and data are fictional. Penalty figures reflect the 2026 civil schedule; actual assessments depend on ICE/DOJ discretion and per-case factors. For an active Notice of Inspection, potential knowing-hire exposure, or any complex situation, consult an immigration attorney.
Related: I-9 self-audit checklist 2026 (fix every error type) · I-9 penalty calculator (estimate your exposure) · I-9 reverification tracker · ICE Notice of Inspection checklist.