Marshallese workers in the US should keep the I-94 alongside their passport

Identify the admission category before presenting employment documents

Marshallese citizens working or settling in the United States under the Compact of Free Association should keep evidence of their actual admission available for employers and public agencies. This guide checks existing documentation rules on 29 October 2026. It does not announce a new work-permit requirement or suggest that a recent administrative update created Compact rights.

The Social Security Administration’s Compact-specific guidance explains that citizens of the freely associated states are not US citizens or US nationals. The relevant immigration evidence establishes a different status. A Marshall Islands passport is proof of nationality, but the admission record helps show the basis on which the holder is present in the United States.

For illustration, a person asked to demonstrate work permission should first identify whether their record shows Compact admission rather than submit unrelated visitor paperwork. The document needed depends on the actual status, not merely the fact that the individual comes from a Pacific country.

Use the passport and printed I-94 together for the Compact option

US Citizenship and Immigration Services’ factsheet for Marshallese and Micronesian citizens explains that people admitted under the Compacts may seek employment without first obtaining an Employment Authorization Document. It nevertheless requires the ordinary employer verification process.

The factsheet identifies the combination of the Marshall Islands passport and Form I-94 reflecting Compact admission as an acceptable List A option for Form I-9. It specifically says a passport with an admission stamp alone is not acceptable for that particular employment-verification option: the I-94 must be printed and presented with the passport.

The current Form I-9’s acceptable-document list separately includes that passport and I-94 combination. List A establishes both identity and employment authorisation. Someone using it should not confuse the admission stamp that helps prove immigration history with the complete combination required for the chosen employment document route.

Complete the employer process within the relevant deadline

The official I-9 instructions require an employee to present acceptable documentation within three business days after starting work. Where employment lasts fewer than three business days, the documents are required on the first day. Prepare the records before the start date rather than discovering an unavailable I-94 printout during onboarding.

Those instructions let employees choose acceptable documents from the published lists. An employer cannot insist on a particular document when the employee presents another valid permitted option. A suitable List A selection is an alternative to the required List B and List C combination, rather than something everyone must produce in addition.

The instructions also address employment authorisation without an expiry date, including qualifying Compact citizens, and direct the employee to enter the applicable noncitizen category and the appropriate information. Check the form instructions instead of inventing an end date because a field appears to ask for one.

Distinguish a Social Security application from the hiring check

SSA’s September 2026 Compact guidance describes I-94 notation such as CFA/MIS for Marshall Islands admission, with some older records showing CFA/RMI. It explains that the admitted-until field can show D/S, meaning duration of status. Different notation formats therefore do not automatically mean the person has lost permission.

That guidance also describes verification through the government’s SAVE system. Its purpose is to establish immigration status before the agency completes any other applicable eligibility checks. A successful immigration verification does not itself prove entitlement to a particular benefit, which can have separate requirements.

The separate SSA Social Security card document guide asks noncitizen applicants to establish identity, immigration status and work authorisation using the applicable records. It requires originals or copies certified by the issuing agency. A photocopy saved for personal convenience should not be assumed sufficient for an appointment requiring original evidence.

Avoid paying for an unnecessary work document

The USCIS Compact factsheet says an Employment Authorization Document is optional for Marshallese citizens admitted under the Compact, and describes category A08 issuance without charge. That can be useful identification, but it should not be presented as a mandatory purchase before an otherwise authorised worker can start employment.

SSA’s card guidance also says replacement Social Security cards are free, subject to its replacement limits and exceptions. Keep the immigration documents and Social Security record consistent when names or status details change. Use the named agency resource for the problem: an employment document question, an admission-record issue and a Social Security correction are distinct tasks.