This week, USCIS announced that it will expand the photo matching portion of the E-Verify program to include U.S. passports and driver’s license data. This change will be effective this September and will give companies and organizations that use E-Verify the capability of comparing photos from an individual’s U.S. passport with that stored in the government’s online database during the I-9 verification process.

Currently, the capability to photo match only appears for foreign nationals who show a recent version of their permanent resident card (Form I-551) or Employment Authorization Document during the I-9 review process. This new change will not be mandatory for E-Verify participating employers.