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What is E-Verify? E-Verify is computer system that helps businesses find out if their employees really have permission to work in the United States.
Why do we have E-Verify? It is illegal for an employer to hire any person who does not have legal permission to work in the United States. All U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents have permission to work in the U.S., as do immigrants with a work permit. Many people who do not have these documents are working in the U.S. and many people believe they are taking jobs away from people who do really have permission to work. Therefore, the U.S. government made a system so employers can check and make sure all their employees have permission to work.
How does E-Verify work?E-Verify’s computer network sends the information an employee provides on Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). E-Verify compares the information to make sure the employee’s Social Security Number (SSN), name, birth date, photograph, and other information all match.
Who has to use E-Verify?Right now, E-Verify is only Federally required for government contractors and subcontrators. However, Congress is considering making e-verify a requirement for all large business, based on the number of employees. Read more at http://www.immigrationamerica.org/green-card/22-e-verify-congress-weighs-pros-and-cons . Some places may already require E-Verify for other companies, so check your state’s laws.
How much does E-Verify cost? E-Verify is a free system.
I am a U.S. Citizen. Will I still be subject to E-Verify?If your employer uses E-Verify, you will be subject to E-Verify. All employees of companies using E-Verify must be screened.
How does E-Verify affect employers?E-Verify has some good things for companies and some bad things. E-Verify guarantees that an employer won’t be in trouble for hiring someone who doesn’t have permission to work. It means that employers won’t face fines for hiring undocumented workers and also won’t waste time and money training someone who turns out later not to have permission to work. On the other hand, E-Verify can cause a lot of problems for companies. For example, one independent study reported that over half of the immigrants presenting false documents were verified by E-Verify with no problem at all. Another problem is that if a company is slow to complete the E-Verify process and does not do so for a few days, it could face fines, due to a mistake or oversight by a low-level Human Resources (HR) employee. E-Verify also costs a company money because employees must be trained to use it and spend additional time on it – E-Verify does not replace the I-9 system but is in addition to it. Finally, a bad employee could use the E-Verify system to look up confidential information about people, creating problems of discrimination and privacy violations for the company.
How does E-Verify affect employees?Most of the time, E-Verify does not affect employees at all. But in 3% of cases, someone with permission to work is reported by E-Verify to be unauthorized. When this happens, the employee will get a letter saying so, but is allowed to continue working until the issue has been resolved. Sometimes, however, individuals have experienced real difficulty proving they are U.S. citizens with permission to work. On the other hand, if you find out there is a problem with your governmental records, it is better to fix it now than to wait.E-Verify can also affect employees or private individuals if someone with access to the E-Verify system decides to misuse it, violating someone’s privacy and accessing their personal data.
READ MORE ABOUT E-VERIFY HERE.
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