How to close an E-Verify case: the steps for each result and which closure statement to choose

To close an E-Verify case, open it once it has a final result, click Close Case, say whether the employee still works for you, choose the closure statement that matches what happened, and record the case number on the Form I-9. As of November 2026, Section 4.1 of the E-Verify User Manual says employers must close every case they create, except Employment Authorized cases, which E-Verify closes automatically for employers using the website; employers whose software connects through web services close those too. Cases that are Referred or in Case in Continuance cannot be closed until a final result arrives.

The results themselves are explained in E-Verify case results explained. This page is about the last step: which cases need closing, the exact statement to choose, and what closing does and does not change.

Which cases must you close, and when?

E-Verify's October 2021 notice also reminded employers to close cases created in error, with incorrect information, or for employees no longer employed, as well as incomplete cases. When a second case for the same person is legitimate is covered in E-Verify duplicate cases.

How do you close a case, step by step?

1. Open the case from the Open Cases to be Closed alert on the home page, or from Cases and Search Cases.
2. Click Close Case.
3. Say whether the employee is still employed. For a Final Nonconfirmation, select whether you will continue to employ the person; if you will, E-Verify makes you type the reason.
4. Pick the closure statement. If neither of the first options fits, select the option that you are closing for a different reason and choose the reason. If you choose Other, type an explanation.
5. Click Close Case and wait for the message that the case closed successfully.
6. Record the case number on the Form I-9, or use View/Print Case Details and attach the page.
7. Move on with Create New Case, if a replacement case is needed, or Continue to return to your cases.

Which closure statement fits?

Section 4.1.1 lists 16 statements. E-Verify presents only the ones relevant to the case's result.

The Final Nonconfirmation statements carry consequences, covered in E-Verify Final Nonconfirmation. Pick the statement that is true; closing a case is also how E-Verify records whether a person kept working after a nonconfirmation.

What does closing change, and what does it not?

• It does not erase the result. Section 4.1.1 says a case closed as a duplicate or for incorrect data is not voided and still shows its last result.
• It ends editing. E-Verify's FAQ says no corrections can be made after closing, and you should not create a new case just to fix details such as an email address.
• Some errors are fixed on paper. For a wrong first day of employment, E-Verify's FAQ says to write an initialed and dated note on the case details printout or the Form I-9, and not to create a new case.
• It does not close the Form I-9 file. The case number still goes on the form, and the form itself is kept and reverified under its own rules; see E-Verify vs Form I-9.

How do you find the cases that are still open?

Section 4.2 lists four case alerts at the bottom of the home page:

• Open Cases to be Closed collects cases waiting for a closure statement.
• Cases with New Updates shows cases with an update that needs your next step, which E-Verify's FAQ says can mean notifying the employee of a mismatch or closing the case.
• Work Authorization Documents Expiring appears 90 days before an EAD or Form I-94 used in a case expires. It is only a reminder to reverify on Supplement B of Form I-9; Section 4.2.3 says no action is required or permitted in E-Verify, and you do not create a new case.
• Recently Auto-Closed Cases counts Employment Authorized cases closed automatically in the past 30 days, so you can pick up the case numbers for the Forms I-9 (Section 4.2.4).

You can also search cases by employee name, case number, A-Number, Social Security number, I-94 number or passport number. Section 2.3 says program administrators and general users can update and close any case created under the same employer account, whoever created it, so a departed coordinator's cases can still be finished.

What about the awkward situations?

• No decision on a mismatch. If the employee gives no decision by the end of the 10th federal government working day, Section 3.3.2 says to select that the employee will not take action, then "Neither of the options above apply," choose Other and type "Administrative / Employee Unavailable" or "Employee chose not to make a decision." See E-Verify tentative nonconfirmation for the steps that come first.
• Your error, found mid-mismatch. Section 3.3.2 says to select that the employee will not take action, close the resulting Final Nonconfirmation as incorrect data, and create a new case with the corrected information.
• Wrong employer account. E-Verify's FAQ says not to re-create closed cases under the right account; note it on the Form I-9 and tell E-Verify. For an open mismatch in the wrong account, close it and create a new case in the correct one.
• Software that closes in bulk. E-Verify's FAQ says web services software may group cases with the same closure statement, but must send each closure individually.
• An employer agent runs your cases. The agent must close every case and tell you the final result; see E-Verify employer agents.
• You are leaving E-Verify. During the 30-day termination period you must close all open cases and create no new ones (Manual 7.4); see the E-Verify memorandum of understanding.

What happens to closed cases over time?

E-Verify disposes of case records more than 10 years old each year under its National Archives schedule. In its October 1, 2026 notice, E-Verify said employers have until January 8, 2027 to download records for cases last updated on or before December 31, 2016, and that USCIS will dispose of them on January 11, 2027. Section 7.4 of the manual says E-Verify case information and documentation must be kept as long as the employee's Form I-9, so the case number on each form, plus any printed case details, is the record that has to last. See I-9 retention rules.

A weekly close-out routine

• Open the Open Cases to be Closed alert and clear it.
• Work every Cases with New Updates item: notify, refer or close as the new result requires.
• Check referred and Case in Continuance cases; escalate any in continuance for more than 60 federal government working days to the E-Verify Contact Center, as Section 3.4 advises.
• Copy case numbers from Recently Auto-Closed Cases onto Forms I-9 before they drop off after 30 days.
• Dismiss expiring-document alerts only after Supplement B reverification is scheduled.
• Close drafts and incomplete cases you no longer need.