John Quill quoted in Boston Globe
"Job Doc"

In the October 15 Job Dock column of the Boston Globe, John Quill responds to a reader with a damaged green card who asks if paychecks can be withheld if s/he doesn’t obtain a new green card within weeks, despite having worked previously for the same employer and providing additional forms identification.

John offers two solutions to the reader: “First, you can produce other documentation to prove you are authorized to work in the United States. Second, you can apply for a replacement green card, and work for the employer under the lost document provision of the I-9 regulations.” According to John, “An individual who has a valid I-9 document that has been lost, damaged, or stolen, can work for an employer for 90 days if the individual can demonstrate: 1) that he or she had the original document; and 2) that he or she has applied for a replacement document. In this case, the employee can work for 90 days, and must produce the replacement document within 90 days in order to continue working for the employer. In either case, as long as you produce sufficient I-9 documentation to show that you are authorized to work in this country, the employer cannot withhold your paycheck.”