E-Verify

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Today U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services rolled out an updated website for E-Verify.

E-Verify is a web-based system that allows enrolled employers to confirm the eligibility of their employees to work in the United States. E-Verify employers verify the identity and employment eligibility of newly hired employees by electronically matching information provided by employees on the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, against records available to the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

For a list of upcoming enhancements to E-Verify, click here.

Monitoring and Compliance (M&C) enforcement actions have increased since FY2014, when total compliance activity was 87,934 actions.  This number was the total number of Compliance Actions (e.g., emails, telephone calls, desk reviews and site visits) by M&C as well as Interagency Actions.  The same Compliance Activities for FY2017 stood at 130,006. The role of M&C is to protect E-Verify against system misuse through monitoring and compliance activities, such as identifying and resolving compliance issues, notifying employers of noncompliant behaviors, and offering compliance assistance in the form of emails, phone calls, desk reviews, and site visits.

Due to the federal government shutdown E-Verify — the electronic employment eligibility verification program that compliments the Form I-9 — is unavailable.  This means, among other things, that employers cannot access their E-Verify account during this time and until the federal government reopens. This will affect employers ability to enroll in E-Verify, create cases and address Tentative Non-Confirmations (TNCs).  The shutdown could end as early as today if Congress passes another stop-gap funding measure funding the government through February 8, 2018.

In the meantime, employers must still complete the Form I-9 for all new hires.  However, if you participate in E-Verify you will not be able to create a case and must do so when E-Verify is again available.  Read more about how to address the three business day window (which employers will not meet) for creating cases in E-Verify as a result of the federal government shutdown by clicking here.

On Monday, June 5 from 2:00 to 3:00 pm EST I will conduct a free webinar on “Workplace Investigations by the Department of Homeland Security – Is Your Restaurant Ready?”  The webinar is sponsored by the Georgia Restaurant Association.  Much, if not all, of what I’ll be discussing regarding employers compliance with immigration laws during the hiring process relates to all employers and isn’t limited to restaurants.  During the webinar I will discuss the following topics:

  • Factors leading to a workplace investigation by DHS – ICE
  • How to prepare for a workplace investigation by ICE
  • How to respond to a Notice of Inspection
  • What happens during an ICE audit
  • The role of the Department of Justice in workplace investigations
  • Collateral consequences of workplace investigations

Click here to register.

On February 28 at 3:00 pm EST, I (check out my bio) will be speaking on a free webinar hosted by Hire Image called, Hiring and Maintaining a Legal Workforce: What’s New in 2017.

I will be talking about what’s new in 2017 relative to hiring and maintaining a legal workforce. I will cover immigration compliance-related topics such as the President’s Executive Orders—and proposed orders—and the impact they could have on American employers and your workforce.  I will also talk about mandatory E-Verify, increased raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), increased civil penalties for noncompliance with the Form I-9 requirements, and what to expect and how to prepare your organization for an ICE worksite enforcement operation.

This webinar is approved for 1 HR (General) recertification credit hour toward California, GPHR, HRBP, HRMP, PHR and SPHR through HRCI, and is valid for 1 PDC for the SHRM-CPSM or SHRM-SCPSM.

Click here to register.

Additional Executive Orders (“EO”) are apparently circulating among administration officials, including more related to immigration and one specifically related to business immigration. It is unclear when or exactly what President Trump will sign but one such draft order is entitled “Executive Order—Protecting American Jobs and Workers by Strengthening the Integrity of Foreign Worker Visa Programs.” The scope of this EO, as presently drafted, will affect foreign worker visa programs (e.g., workers in E, H-1B, H-2A and L status).  It also affects the J-1 exchange visitor program and student visa reform, and orders L-1 site visits.  These are just some highlights of what such this EO could cover.

The focus of this particular EO is to prioritize “the protection of American workers…and the jobs they hold.” The EO requires the Security of Homeland Security to, within 90 days, review all regulations that allow foreign nationals to work in the United States to determine if they are in the national interest or should be rescinded.

Of greatest interest for purposes of this blog is what it says about E-Verify – “within 90 days of the date of this order, submit to the President a list of options for incentivizing and expanding participation by employers in E-Verify, including by conditioning, to the maximum extent allowed by law, certain immigration-related benefits on participation in E-Verify.” Could this mean something akin to the situation where in order for an employee to apply for an extension of their work authorization under STEM OPT their employer must participate in E-Verify?

This E-Verify mandate is in line with then presidential candidate Trump’s “10 Point Plan to Put America First.”  Point #9 was, “Turn off the jobs and benefits magnet. Many immigrants come to the U.S. illegally in search of jobs, even though federal law prohibits the employment of illegal immigrants.”  For this point to be fulfilled, President Trump is pushing for an expansion of the E-Verify program.  Which, by the way, an expansion of E-Verify to make it mandatory is not necessarily a controversial item on Capitol Hill.  I expect that legislation will be taken up this year on Capitol Hill making E-Verify mandatory for all employers in the United States.

Annually my law firm publishes a checklist of legal issues we believe will be relevant in 2017.  To view the list click here.

In no particular order of importance this year’s list includes the following, with brief write-ups by AGG lawyers:

  1. Wage and Hour
  2. Non-GAAP Financial Measures
  3. Ban the Box
  4. EU-U.S. Privacy Shield
  5. Immigration Compliance – Form I-9 and E-Verify
  6. Robust Compliance Programs
  7. Blockchain and Digital Transactions
  8. Cyber Security and M&A Transactions
  9. Online Advertising Practices
  10. Wellness Programs
  11. Tax Reform
  12. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
  13. E-Discovery and Defense Costs

Please join me and my colleague, Teri Simmons, for a free webinar on January 24th at noon EST during which time we’ll discuss immigration compliance issues relevant to employers.  We’ll also cover what organizations can expect in 2017 under the new Administration.

Teri and I will cover topics related to the Employment Eligibility Verification form (the “Form I-9”), E-Verify, government investigations and penalties related to the Form I-9, and on-site audits when petitioning for H and L nonimmigrant status.  Click here to register and learn more about the topics we’ll address.

The webinar is pending CLE credit approval by the State Bar of Georgia.