WASHINGTON -- Beginning in early February, employers in the United States will not be allowed to use expired documents to verify workers employment eligibility.

A new rule issued by Homeland Security Department aims to streamline the employment eligibility verification process and crack down on fraud.

As of Feb. 2, expired U.S. passports or state-issued driver's licenses and other outdated identification cards will no longer qualify as valid documentation for Form I-9. Social Security cards will not be affected by the change because they do not expire.

"Expired documents are prone to fraudulent use in the Form I-9 process by aliens seeking unauthorized employment," the department said in issuing the new rule.

Employers must fill out a newly revised Form I-9 for all new hires to verify their identity and authorization to work in the U.S. The form, mandated by the 1986 Immigration and Reform Control Act, is a key component of DHS Electronic Employment Verification System. Employers still can use the revised paper version, but there also is I-9 software that integrates identification information into E-Verify.

New hires or rehires can present various forms of identification to prove their work eligibility. The list of approved documents is divided into three categories: List A, documents that verify identity and employment authorization; List B, which confirms identity only; and List C, which certifies employment authorization only.

U.S. passports are included on List A, while driver's licenses fall into category B. Workers must either provide one document from List A, or one document each from lists B and C.

The rule also eliminates several types of identification included on List A: temporary resident cards and older versions of the employment authorization card/document (Forms I-688, I-688A and I-688B). DHS no longer issues those forms of ID.