International Relocation Documents Checklist: Validate the File

This article is for information only and is not legal advice. Regulatory references are accurate as of 4 October 2026 and describe the United States unless stated. Immigration rules change often: confirm against the official source, or with immigration counsel, before acting on an individual file.

An international relocation documents checklist lists the papers an employer must collect and check before an employee starts work in a new country: identity, permission to live and work, the employment contract and proof of qualifications. Collecting them is the easy half. Each document must be valid on the start date, issued by the right body, and consistent with the others. This guide gives the US checklist and compares it with Canada and the UK.

What belongs in an expatriate file?

An expatriate file has four core blocks (identity, immigration status and work authorization, contract, qualifications) plus a fifth for US registration. The table below is a starting point to adapt to the role and the visa category.

Ask only for what the role and the law justify. There is no federal equivalent of GDPR, but California's CCPA as amended by the CPRA gives job applicants and employees rights over their personal information, and other states have their own privacy statutes.

How do you validate each document?

Validation is three checks: completeness, validity on the start date, and cross-document consistency. Completeness means every page and field is present and readable. Validity means dates, issuer and format are acceptable on the day the person starts. Consistency means the same name, date of birth and employer appear everywhere they should.

Most delays come from the third check: a passport reads "Oluwaseun Adeyemi-Clarke" while the diploma says "O. Adeyemi". Each gap needs a person to decide before the petition is filed, not after a request for evidence. A validation step compares fields and dates and flags the differences. It does not prove a document is authentic; it tells the reviewer where to look.

Our platform supports more than 3,200 document types and OCR in 24 languages across 32 jurisdictions, so the same logic applies to a Brazilian passport and a US EAD. HR teams can see how this works on the HR solution page.

United States: Form I-9, E-Verify and visa categories

US employers must complete Form I-9 for every new hire, citizen or not, and the employee, not the employer, chooses which acceptable documents to present. Section 1 is completed by the employee no later than the first day of employment. The employer completes Section 2 within three business days of the start date, after examining original documents in person or through an approved alternative procedure. The employee may present one document from List A, or one from List B plus one from List C. The employer must not specify which documents to bring. The full lists are on the USCIS I-9 Central page.

E-Verify is a separate online system that compares I-9 data with government records. It is voluntary for most employers, but some states and federal contractors must use it. Using it for some hires and not others creates risk.

Paperwork penalties for I-9 errors are set per form and adjusted for inflation each year. The 2025 range was roughly $288 to $2,861 per form, but check the current inflation-adjusted schedule before relying on any figure.

Section 274B of the Immigration and Nationality Act prohibits discrimination based on citizenship status or national origin, including demanding more or different documents than the form requires. The Immigrant and Employee Rights Section of the Department of Justice handles these cases.

For sponsored workers the file must match the petition. An H-1B worker needs a certified Labor Condition Application from the Department of Labor and an approved Form I-129 petition, with a US bachelor's degree or a foreign equivalent in a related field. L-1 covers intracompany transferees, O-1 covers individuals of extraordinary ability, and TN covers eligible Canadian and Mexican professionals under USMCA. Job title, wage, worksite and dates must agree across the LCA, the petition, the offer letter and the I-94.

Comparing the US with Canada and the UK

Each destination country sets the filing that must happen before or just after arrival, and that filing decides which documents you need.

• United States. Form I-9 within three business days of the start date, optional E-Verify, and a petition approved before the worker begins in a sponsored category.
• Canada. Most foreign workers need an employer-specific or open work permit, and a Social Insurance Number applied for after arrival.
• United Kingdom. The employer checks the right to work before the start date, usually through an online share code, plus a Certificate of Sponsorship for sponsored roles.

How do you check a foreign diploma and complete US registration?

A foreign degree is checked in two steps: confirm that the institution issued it, then establish what it equals in the US system. The first step can mean a request to the university or a verification service. The second is a credential evaluation, typically from a member of NACES, the association of credential evaluation services. H-1B filings commonly rely on an evaluation to show the degree is equivalent to a US degree. A translation by a qualified translator is often needed too.

New arrivals who are authorized to work apply for a Social Security number through the Social Security Administration. A person who needs a taxpayer number but is not eligible for an SSN applies for an ITIN with IRS Form W-7.

Banks add their own angle. Under the Bank Secrecy Act, institutions must run a Customer Identification Program (31 CFR 1020.220), overseen by FinCEN. A newcomer is usually asked for a passport, a visa or other status evidence, and a US address, so a relocation file that already holds validated copies speeds up account opening and payroll deposits.

Our guide to HR diploma and right-to-work verification covers the credential check in more detail, and the new hire document checklist covers the domestic baseline that an expatriate file builds on.

What do HR teams and expats ask most?

The recurring questions are about order of operations, name mismatches and deadlines. Expats and HR teams on public forums tend to ask the same things. Can the person start before the visa is stamped? What if the surname differs between passport and degree? What happens if an EAD expires mid-employment?

The short answers: no start until the petition is approved and the status allows work; submit a name-variation note with the file and let the reviewer approve it before filing; for an expiring EAD, diarize the date and complete Section 3 reverification on time.

A digital file that validates each item on upload and flags authorizations expiring within 60 days is easier to defend in an audit than a static PDF checklist. For the wider map of industry file types, see the industry verification pillar guide, and for storage of personal data see the security page.

To run these checks on your own relocation files, start from the CheckFile solution for HR teams, which compares fields, dates and registers across the documents in a file, or see the pricing page.

Frequently Asked Questions

What documents do I need to relocate an employee to the United States?

You need proof of identity, a visa or other status that allows this job, the petition approval where one applies, the offer letter or transfer letter, and qualifications where the role or visa requires them. Add the Social Security number, or ITIN if applicable, and bank details.

How long before the start date should the file be validated?

Complete the petition and status checks before the first day, and start the credential evaluation and apostille steps as early as possible because they often take weeks. Diarize authorization expiry dates 60 days ahead.

Can an employer ask for a Green Card or a specific document on Form I-9?

No. The employee decides which acceptable List A, or List B plus List C, documents to present. Requesting specific documents can amount to unlawful discrimination under INA section 274B.

Does validating a document prove it is genuine?

No. Validation compares dates, formats and fields across documents and against reference data, and highlights inconsistencies for a person to review. It complements the legally required I-9 examination and E-Verify and does not replace them.

Is the checklist different for a short assignment?

The blocks are the same, but a short assignment may use a different visa category, such as L-1 or B-1 where permitted. Build the checklist by visa category and place of work.