U.S. Department of Justice

Civil Rights Division

Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related

Unfair Employment Practices

You Have The Right To Work.

Dont Let Anyone Take It Away.

Real Life Stories That Can

Help You.

Real Life Stories That Can Help You.
Real Life Stories

That Can Help You.

This brochure will tell the stories of four people.

These individuals applied for jobs but were

turned away. Each had the right to work in the

United States but unfortunately, employers,

confused about the law, demanded to see

papers they had no right to ask for.

These people knew they had a right to work in

the United States and they talked to the people

who could help them. You can too.
I was trained as an airline pilot in

Korea. I was working as a flight attendant for a

U.S. airline and applied for a job opening for pilots.

But my employer said that all pilots have to be U.S.

citizens. I thought I would never be able to move up

the employment ladder. Then a friend of mine told me

that what had happened to me is illegal. She told me

to call the Office of Special Counsel for ImmigrationRelated Unfair Employment Practices. She told me

they have attorneys who will assist you free of

charge. I called and they investigated, and now

Im flying!
The dress factory where I cut

patterns required proof of work authorization

only from Asian employees. The manager said he

wanted to make sure we were legal. Then he fired my

friend from Vietnam because she could not show an

extension of her temporary resident card, even though

she is a legal permanent resident. She has a family to

support, and she was so upset she told our neighbor

what happened. His son is an immigration lawyer, and

he told her what happened to her is against the law.

He told her about an office in Washington at the

Department of Justice. He told her they had free

services, and she called. They investigated her case,

and she got her job back. She also got paid for the

days she had missed work. Now she tells everyone

the number to call....
I was granted asylum when I left

China and wanted to apply my training in

computer programming in the United States. I

interviewed for a job with a defense contractor in

California. The job didnt require a security clearance.

But the personnel director said he couldnt take a

chance on me since I wasnt a U.S. citizen. I knew this

was illegal because I went to a workshop at my

church on fair employment practices. In the

workshop, they talked about unfair hiring practices,

and I knew this policy was wrong. I looked up the

OSC telephone. I called and they contacted the

employer, and I am now working.
I applied for a job in a watch

factory and showed my drivers license as proof

of identity and my social security card as proof of

work authorization. The owner insisted on seeing a

green card and turned me away. I knew I was

allowed to choose which documents to present. So I

called the Hotline for help. I spoke with an attorney

who intervened on my behalf, and I was offered

a job.
List of Legal Work Papers

This list provides the most common legal work papers as

required by the I-9 form. If an employer refuses to accept

the documents you choose to show to prove your work

authorization, you should show him/her this list. You have

two choices about which documents you can show to fill

out the I-9:

l You can choose to show just one document from List A. l You can choose to show two documents, one from List B

and one from List C.

Group A documents prove both your

identity and your work authorization l U.S. Passport (unexpired or expired) l Certificate of U.S. Citizenship (N-560 or N-561) l Certificate of Naturalization (N-550 or N-570) l Unexpired foreign passport, with I-551 stamp or

attached INS Form I-94 indicating unexpired employment

authorization

l Alien Registration Receipt Card with photograph (I-151

or I-551)

l Unexpired Temporary Resident Card (I-688)

l Unexpired Employment Authorization Card (I-688A) l Unexpired Reentry Permit (I-327)

l Unexpired Refugee Travel Document (I-571)

l Unexpired Employment Authorization Document issued

by the INS which contains a photograph (I-688B)

Group B documents only prove your identity l Drivers license or ID card issued by a state

l Identification card issued by federal, state or local

government agency

l School ID card with a photograph l Voters registration card

l U.S. military card or draft record

l Military dependents ID card

l U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Card

l Native American tribal document

l Drivers license issued by a Canadian government

authority

For persons under age 18 who are unable

to present a document listed from Group B l School record or report card

l Clinic, doctor, or hospital record

l Day-care or nursery school record
Group C documents only prove

your work authorization

l U.S. social security card issued by the Social Security

Administration l Certification of Birth Abroad issued by the Department

of State (FS-545 or Form DS-1350) l Original or certified copy of a birth certificate issued by a

state, county, or municipal authority or U.S. territory l Native American tribal document l U.S. Citizen ID Card (I-197) l ID Card for use of Resident Citizen in the United States

(I-179) l Unexpired employment authorization document issued

by the INS (other than those listed under List A)

If You Have Also Been

Discriminated Against Because Of

Your National Origin Or Your

Immigration Status, Call This

Hotline Number For Help

1-800-255-7688

TDD for hearing impaired: 1-800-237-2515

In the Washington, DC area, call (202) 616-5594

(Washington, DC, TDD number: (202) 616-5525)

Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair

Employment Practices (OSC)

or write to OSC at:

U.S. Department of Justice

P.O. Box 27728

Washington, DC 20038-7728

l If you have been denied work or fired because of your

national origin or citizenship status, you may have a valid

charge of discrimination you may file with OSC. OSC can

help you in getting the job you lost because of the

discrimination. You can also receive pay for the days you

missed work.

l If an employer has denied you work or fired you because

she or he will not accept your work authorization as proof of

your legal right to work in the U.S., or they only hire U.S.

citizens or permanent residents, she or he is breaking the law.

You need to show the employer the List of Legal Work

Papers on the left. If the employer still insists on seeing a

particular document, or refuses to hire you, call OSC right

away.