We Verify Your Remote California Hire’s I-9 in Person, on Time
Your company may be out of state, but Form I-9 still requires that your new hire’s original documents be examined in person. We are the bonded California immigration consultant who does that and completes the I-9 on time.
In-Person I-9 Verification, Done for Out-of-State Employers
You designate us as your authorized representative; we handle the in-person step your HR team cannot do from another state.
In-person examination
We meet your employee and examine their original, unexpired documents face to face — not by scan or photo.
Bonded & authorized
A bonded California immigration consultant (Bus. & Prof. Code §22441) legally able to complete the I-9 a notary cannot.
Inside the 3-day window
We schedule fast so the I-9 is completed within the federal three-business-day deadline, not on day four.
Audit-ready file
You receive the correctly completed I-9 and document copies to retain, ready for an ICE or HSI audit.
One onboarding stack
Pair the I-9 with mailed FD-258 cards and Channeler-network FBI for the same out-of-state hire.
Office or onsite
At our San Jose office, or we travel to your employee’s California location for a travel fee.
You Designate Us; We Examine the Documents in Person
With a short written designation, your company appoints Fingerscan Digital as its authorized representative. We then meet your employee, confirm their paperwork is complete, examine the original documents, and complete and sign the I-9 on your behalf.
- Written authorized-rep designation
- Original document examination
- the I-9 completion & attestation
- Document copies for your records
- Returned the same day
- English, Spanish & Vietnamese intake
We handle the verification itself, nothing more: we are not attorneys and do not provide legal advice, and you remain the employer of record.
Request a Quote →How a Remote-Hire I-9 Fails an Audit
An I-9 completed late, by the wrong person, or the wrong way is a finable violation — and the liability stays with you, the employer. Each risk below names the rule and the consequence.
The I-9 missed the three-business-day window
Completing the I-9 late — or never — is a paperwork or substantive violation, finable per form even when the worker is fully authorized. ICE needs no warrant to audit.
The wrong person completed it in California
A California notary who is not also a bonded immigration consultant cannot lawfully complete an I-9 for compensation. Using one can void the verification while you remain liable.
Remote video used without E-Verify
Only employers enrolled in E-Verify and in good standing may examine documents over live video. A non-E-Verify employer who reviews remotely has an invalid I-9.
COVID-era remote I-9s never re-inspected
Documents examined remotely under COVID flexibility had to be physically re-inspected by March 31, 2026. That date has passed — any I-9s left un-inspected are now audit-exposed.
The employer remains fully liable for any errors an authorized representative makes, so the representative must be qualified and legally authorized in California. Fingerscan Digital provides employment-verification and fingerprinting services as a bonded immigration consultant, not legal advice — confirm how a specific rule applies with your own counsel or compliance officer.
From Designation to Completed I-9 in Five Steps
Designate us
Send the assignment and a short written designation naming Fingerscan Digital your authorized representative.
Schedule
We coordinate with your employee at our San Jose office or onsite at their California location.
Examine
Your employee presents original documents; we examine them in person and confirm their paperwork.
Complete the I-9
We complete and sign the I-9 as your representative, within the three-business-day window.
Return the file
You receive the completed, audit-ready I-9 and document copies for your records.
A Flat Fee, Not a Per-County Surprise
National services quote remote-software subscriptions; California shops vary the price by county. We keep it simple.
$90 per applicant
A flat fee for in-person I-9 verification at our San Jose office — one transparent number per employee, no kiosk add-ons.
Travel for onsite
Need us at your employee’s location anywhere in Northern California? Add a travel fee quoted by distance — the $90 per-applicant rate still applies.
Volume & net-30
Hiring into California regularly? Set up a standing account with volume pricing and 30-day net terms, so each new hire is one quick appointment.
Quinnie Do
Quinnie founded Fingerscan Digital to give out-of-state employers one accountable, legally authorized representative for the in-person steps of California onboarding — I-9 verification, FD-258 cards, and Channeler-network FBI checks. As a bonded California immigration consultant, she can complete the I-9 a notary cannot, and she works directly with HR and compliance teams to finish the I-9 inside the deadline.
Reference the official USCIS Form I-9 and the California Secretary of State immigration-consultant registry, and verify Fingerscan Digital’s California DOJ-certified Live Scan provider status.
What Out-of-State HR Teams Ask Us
Federal law lets you designate an authorized representative to examine the documents and complete the I-9 in person on your behalf. In California that representative must be legally qualified — a licensed attorney, a federally authorized representative, or a bonded immigration consultant. Fingerscan Digital is a bonded immigration consultant, so we can lawfully fill that role for you.
Only if your company is enrolled in E-Verify and in good standing, under the DHS alternative procedure that became permanent on August 1, 2023. If you are not on E-Verify, the I-9 must be completed by in-person examination of the original documents — which is exactly what we provide.
California treats the Form I-9 as an immigration document. Under Bus. & Prof. Code §22440–22441 and Gov. Code §8223(c), a notary public who is not also a bonded immigration consultant may not complete an I-9 for compensation. Using one can void the verification while you remain liable.
Within three business days of the employee’s first day of work for pay (8 CFR §274a.2). If the person will work fewer than three days, the I-9 must be done by their first day. We schedule quickly to stay inside that window.
A flat $90 per applicant for verification at our San Jose office. If you need us to travel to your employee’s California location, we add a travel fee quoted by distance. Recurring hires can set up volume pricing on a net-30 standing account.
Yes. You remain the employer of record and stay legally responsible for the form, which is why it matters that your representative is qualified and legally authorized in California. We complete the verification accurately and to standard — but we do not provide legal advice or act as your attorney.
Possibly. Documents examined remotely under the COVID flexibility had to be physically re-inspected by March 31, 2026. That deadline has passed, so any of those I-9s that were never re-inspected in person are now audit-exposed. We can handle the in-person re-inspection for your California staff.
Federal law lets you designate any person to examine the documents and complete the I-9, and you remain fully liable for that person’s work. California is stricter: a paid representative who is not a licensed attorney or federally authorized representative must be a bonded immigration consultant registered with the Secretary of State (Bus. & Prof. Code §22441). Fingerscan Digital holds that bond, so we can lawfully serve as your representative.
Original, unexpired documents from the Form I-9 Lists of Acceptable Documents — either one List A document, or one List B plus one List C document. We must see the originals in person and watch your employee present them; emailed photos or mailed photocopies do not satisfy the requirement. We examine and record them on the form in real time.
Civil penalties run from $288 to $2,861 per form, even when the worker is authorized to work (current Federal Register adjustment). In March 2026, ICE reclassified several remote-verification errors from technical to substantive, so they can no longer be fixed with the usual 10-day correction notice after an audit. Completing the I-9 correctly and on time is the only reliable protection.
Yes. We complete the in-person I-9, and for the same California hire we can roll FD-258 fingerprint cards and submit a Channeler-network FBI background check — one accountable provider for the in-person steps of out-of-state onboarding.
Tell Us About Your California Hire
Send the start date and location and we will confirm the appointment and complete the I-9 in person, on time. Flat $90 per applicant.
Get Your California Hire’s I-9 Done Right — In Person, on Time
Tell us the start date and location. We are the bonded representative California law allows, and we complete the I-9 inside the deadline.