Searching For Existing Employee Profiles and I-9s

Step 1. Determine if you need to create a new I-9

In some cases, the employee you are hiring already has a completed I-9 in Tracker, so you do not need to create a new I-9. Common examples:  

• A student begins employment or is working concurrently in two separate departments at or around the same time, and the other department has already completed the I-9.
• A current employee transfers from another unit or U of I location.

In these cases, the employee is a continuing current employee (rather than a new hire or rehire), and so s/he will already have a current valid Form I-9 in Tracker.

You must complete a new Form I-9 for every newly hired (has accepted a job offer and has never previously worked for the university) and rehired employee (worked previously, but was separated, and has accepted a new job offer).

Step 2. Always search before creating a new profile or I-9

Before beginning a new I-9, always search for an existing employee record. This may be a fully complete I-9 or just an employee profile. Click the search box on the Tracker dashboard. This will bring up a number of fields to search existing employee profiles.

The most reliable practice is to search using the UIN in the Employee ID field. If no record is found, you may also try to find the employee using their First and Last Name.

Be aware that certain records may match in name, but can be entirely different employees. If the search returns an existing record, open the employee profile by clicking on the employee's name. Confirm the details of the record, including date of birth, to determine if the record matches.

If an existing profile only has an I-9 with the Next Action of “Purge”, it is considered an inactive I-9.

If you find an employee profile with a complete I-9 that is inactive, or a profile with no I-9s at all, this means that the employee separated from employment at some point and is now a rehire, and you will need to complete a new I-9 under this profile. If you have any questions about whether or not a person is a rehire, contact your central HR office.

If you do not find a matching profile, then go on to Step 3.

Creating a New Employee Profile

Step 3. Create a new employee profile to store the Form I-9

If a new hire has never worked for the University of Illinois, they will probably not have an employee profile in Tracker. Create a new employee profile by clicking the large Create New I-9 button on the dashboard, then selecting the New Employee option.

This will open a new window with fields for the employee’s information. It is important to note that this is NOT Section 1 of Form I-9 and the information will not carry over to the I-9. The Employee Profile can be thought of as the “folder” where an employee’s I-9 will be stored.

Each row of fields is numbered and explained below.

1. Employee Name

Enter the employee’s name.

• First Name (Given Name): Required. Enter the employee’s first name.
• Middle Name: Optional, but recommended if known. Enter the employee’s middle initial or middle name.
• Last Name (Family Name): Required. Enter the employee’s last name.
• Other Last Names Used: Optional, but recommended if known. Enter previous last names used by the employee, such as a maiden name.

2. Personal Information

• U.S. Social Security Number: Optional, and not recommended at the employee profile level.
• Date of Birth: Required. Enter the employee’s date of birth.
• Employee’s Email Address: Optional but recommended. Required if any part of the I-9 is done remotely.
• Employee ID: Required if available. Enter the employee’s 9-digit UIN. If the employee does not have a UIN yet, this can be left blank, but should be updated as soon as possible.

3. Employment Information

• Employer: Required. Defaults to University of Illinois, which is correct.
• Worksite: Required. Select your worksite from the drop-down list.
• I-9 Manager: Required. Defaults to your name, which is correct.

4. Save and Cancel

• Save & Continue: Saves the profile. In most cases, this will also immediately begin the new I-9 process.
• Cancel: Cancels any changes to the profile.

Important: After saving, if Tracker alerts you to a possible existing profile for the employee, review the matching profile as you would normally through a search. Contact your central HR office if you are unsure about a possible match.