E-Verify records disposal 2027: what USCIS deletes on January 11 and how to save the Historical Records Report

On January 11, 2027, USCIS will dispose of E-Verify records for cases last updated on or before December 31, 2016. Employers have until January 8, 2027 to download them with the Historical Records Report, which program administrators and corporate administrators run from the Reports tab. The report keeps case numbers, employee names, results and closure details, but not Social Security or document numbers, and E-Verify says to keep it with your Forms I-9. The disposal is annual: under a National Archives records schedule, USCIS removes case records more than 10 years old each year. That is the position on e-verify.gov as of November 2026.

The disposal does not change how long you keep Forms I-9, and it does not touch the case numbers already written on them. What it removes is your ability to look those cases up in E-Verify. How cases are closed in the first place is covered in how to close an E-Verify case; the Form I-9 retention formula is in I-9 retention rules.

What will USCIS dispose of on January 11, 2027?

E-Verify case records for cases last updated on or before December 31, 2016, which the notice describes as records "that are more than 10 years old." The fact sheet says USCIS disposes of E-Verify employer records that are 10 years old or older every year under National Archives records schedule N1-566-08-7, to reduce the security and privacy risks of the government holding personal information. User Manual Section 1.6 says the same.

Note the wording: the cutoff is the date a case was last updated, not the date it was created. On that wording, a case opened in late 2016 but closed or otherwise updated in 2017 falls outside this round.

What are the dates for this round and the last two?

The report has two names on e-verify.gov. The User Manual and the 2024 notice call it the Historic Records Report; the 2025 and 2026 notices and the current instructions call it the Historical Records Report. It is the same report.

Who can download the Historical Records Report?

• Program administrators. The October 2026 notice says program administrators can download it.
• Corporate administrators. The fact sheet names program and corporate administrators, and User Manual Section 5.0 says the report is available to both "for 3 months in the fall of each year."
• Employer agents. The instructions let an agent account filter by its own account, a specific client company or all accounts.
• No administrator on staff? If the person who held the program administrator role has left, sort that out before the deadline; see E-Verify user roles.

How do you download it?

E-Verify's download instructions, updated October 1, 2026, give these steps:

1. Click "Reports" on the navigation bar at the top of the page.
2. Under Historical Records Report, click "Run Report." It covers all cases in your account that are 10 years old or older.
3. Employer accounts: click "Generate Report."
4. Employer agent accounts: choose a filter (your agent account, one client company, or all accounts), then click "Generate Report." With no filter, the report covers every account associated with the agent.
5. Select "Save" to download the report as an Excel file. Without Excel, open the CSV data in another application. Large accounts may receive several files in a ZIP.
6. File it with your Forms I-9. The notice and the fact sheet both say employers should keep the report with the forms.

What does the report contain?

That is enough to tie each case to its Form I-9 and show how it ended. It is not a copy of the case details page, so it is not a substitute for a case number missing from a form.

What must you keep after the disposal?

• The case number on every Form I-9. Article II.A.7 of the MOU has the employer record the case verification number on the employee's Form I-9, or print the screen containing it and attach it. The October 2026 notice says employers who have not already done so must record it, or attach a copy of the case details page, now.
• E-Verify information for as long as the Form I-9. User Manual Section 7.4 says E-Verify case information and documentation must be retained for the same length of time as the employee's Form I-9.
• The Form I-9 itself, on its own schedule. Under 8 CFR 274a.2(b)(2), three years after the date of hire or one year after employment ends, whichever is later. An employee hired in 2016 who still works for you has an active form, even though their E-Verify case will be gone.

Who should act before January 8, 2027?

• Employers with long-tenured staff. Anyone verified in 2016 or earlier and still employed. Their forms stay in your active files, and an inspector may ask about the E-Verify case behind them; see the I-9 audit checklist.
• Employers that report E-Verify use to a government. User Manual Section 5.0 says the Quick Audit Report was designed for reporting E-Verify activity to federal, state or local government entities. After January 11, those older cases will no longer be in E-Verify to report on.
• Employer agents and their clients. Run the report per client and send each client its own file; see E-Verify employer agents. Staffing agencies with high case volumes should start early; see E-Verify for staffing agencies.
• Employers closing an E-Verify account. Section 7.4 says that once an account is terminated, the employer no longer has access to the account and its records, so download what you need first; see the E-Verify memorandum of understanding.
• Employers with gaps on old forms. Any Form I-9 from that period without a case number.

How should you store the downloaded file?

The report holds employee names and case results. User Manual Section 1.6 says employers must protect the privacy of employees whose information is processed through E-Verify, ensure that personal information is safeguarded and used only for the purposes in the terms and conditions, and at a minimum follow its Privacy Guidelines Overview; the download instructions point to the same section. Store the file where your Forms I-9 are stored, limit access to the people who handle them, and avoid sending it around by email.

A worked example

The company and dates are illustrative. A retailer enrolled in E-Verify in 2013. In November 2026 its program administrator runs the Historical Records Report, saves the Excel file and files it with the Forms I-9. Comparing the file with the forms for 2016 hires, HR finds three things. One 2016 hire still works there and has a case number on the form, so the active file is complete. Another left in 2017; three years after hire was the later date, so that form's retention period ended in 2019 and the report adds nothing the company must keep for that person. A third 2016 hire's form has no case number; the report lists the case, so HR records the number on the form now, before January 11, 2027, when the case leaves E-Verify. Cases last updated in 2015 or earlier are not in the report at all, because the earlier rounds in the table above already removed them, and a case the store created in December 2016 but closed in February 2017 is not in this year's report either, because it was last updated in 2017.

A checklist before January 8, 2027

• Confirm who at your company is a program administrator or corporate administrator and can run the report.
• Run the Historical Records Report for every employer account, or per client for agents.
• Save it and file it with the Forms I-9, with restricted access.
• Match the report against forms from 2016 and earlier; record any missing case number on the form now.
• Flag current employees whose cases are in the report, so their active files carry the case number.
• Keep any state or local E-Verify reporting you owe up to date before the cases go.
• If you plan to close an account, download everything first.

This round is one of the E-Verify changes listed in new hiring laws for 2027. Another E-Verify report that needs regular attention is covered in the E-Verify Status Change Report.