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Timestamp: 2013-12-05 17:52:04
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I9s | Business Tips and Updates
RSS Feed E-Verify - Still Important for Businesses in Many States
Posted by Michael Beauchemin on Wed, Oct 31, 2012 @ 12:31 PM
Email Article Tweet In the last session of congress the US House of Representatives approved the reauthorization of the E-Verify program for three more years. E-Verify is administered by the Department of Homeland Security in partnership with the Social Security Administration. It is a web based program that allows employers to verify that a worker is authorized to work in the United States. As part of House S 3245, in addition to extending the E-Verify program for three years the immigrant visa programs set to exprire would remain active. Even though bill passed the house the legislation is pending and will not be dealt with until after the election. In 2011 the US Supreme Court upheld Arizona's 2007 employment verification law requiring businesses to use the Federal E-Verify System. The ruling paved the way for other states to implement E-Verify laws. Companies using the E-Verify program can reduce exposure to DHS violations and fines. If a company shows a good faith effort to hire individuals authorized to work in the US, they will not be held liable by the Department fo Homeland Security (DHS). A key component to showing the good faith effort and avoiding fines is using the E-Verify System. For many states, there is a safe harbor provisions that allows companies to avoid liability. For states that have an E-Verify requirements, a knowing violation can result in a company being responsible for back-taxes, penalties and interest. However, as with the DHS if you can demonstrate the same good faith effort to verify an employees eligibility to work in the US by using the E-verify system and maintaining good hiring records you can be sheltered from liability.
Here is the downside to using the E-Verify System: It takes time to enroll in the E-Verify System and to check each employee's eligibility
There are some glitches in the system with some inaccurate data
If a company hires an indvidual who fails the E-Verify process, the system documents the company's noncompliance. Unless the company is committed to to disqualifying unverified job candidates, they probably should not use the system.
The information obtained by DHS can also be used for I-9 audits and/or worksite investigations.
Good record keeping and hiring procedures are critical for every company regardless of whether you have one employee or ten thousand employees. Failure to comply or show complaince through good record keeping leaves the company susceptible to fines and penalties. The E-Verify System and having properly filled out I9s on file are two ways for employers to protect themselves from placing undocumented workers on their payroll. To assist you we have compiled an E-Verify Guide. The Guide shows the states that require companies to use the E-verify System.
Tags: Payroll, I9s, E-Verify
I9s and Placing New Employees on Your Payroll
Posted by Michael Beauchemin on Mon, Sep 10, 2012 @ 09:36 AM
Email Article Tweet Employers, after hiring a new employee and placing them on their payroll are required, within 3 business days of the start date, to complete the I-9 Form. The current I-9 Form expired on August 31, 2012. However on August 13, 2012, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services released a bulletin regarding the expiration date of Form I-9. The bulletin stated: "Until further notice, employers should continue using the Form I-9 currently available [...]. This form should continue to be used even after the OMB control number expiration date of August 31, 2012 has passed. USCIS will provide updated information about the new versions of the Form I-9 as it becomes available. Form I-9 is one of the most important new hire forms that an employer must complete and keep on file after hiring a new employee. Prior to running any payroll for a new employee, an employer should verify that all the new hire paperwork is fully completed and in order. This includes the I-9. failure to have I-9s properly filed out and on files can result in fines and in some cases lead to criminal prosectuion. By law, it is the employers responsibility to:
Verify the identity and eligibility of employment in the US for each worker hired. Maintain a file for all I-9s which can be provided to investigators upon request. Employers who violate the law may be subject to civil fines and criminal penalties as outlined in the tables below. In addition if you have government contracts, or intend to compete for government contracts, I-9 violations can cause debarment from government contracts. The I-9 only takes a few minutes to fill out while the consequences of not filling out and having I-9s on file is severe...why run the risk. To help organize your employee files, check your compliance and assist you with your hiring and new employee orientation process we have put togther the I-9 form check list. 0 Comments Click here to read/write comments
Tags: Payroll, I9, I9s
Payroll News: I9 Crackdown by ICE
Posted by Michael Beauchemin on Thu, Jun 16, 2011 @ 10:03 AM
Email Article Tweet Last week in, our posts, Payroll, Hiring, New Employee and Why I9s are important, Part 1 and Part 2, we highlighted how <?xml:namespace prefix = mce />important I9s are. Today Laurie Seagull posted an article on CNNMoney.com, 1,000 firms targeted in illegal hiring crackdown. Her article underscores the importance of having each employees' I9 properly filled out and on file. Gillian Christensen, a public affairs spokesperson from The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), released a written statement regarding the increased number of I9 audits: "the inspections will touch on employers of all sizes and in every state in the nation, with an emphasis on business related to critical infrastructures and key resources." The articles goes on to highlight the importance of this issue:
"The audit surge is an effort to crack down on employers who hire illegal immigrants, an issue Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Naploitano began focusing on in April 2009. "
Christensen's released statement, in the article, is quoted further: "As part of that strategy, we radically stepped up the use of I9 audits. Basically they were barely doing them." As we pointed out in Part 1 of our post, by law it is the employers responsibility to:
Maintain a file for all I9s which can be provided to investigators upon request. The I9 only takes a few minutes to fill out while the consequences of not filling out and having I9s on file is extremely high...why run that risk. To help organize your employee files and highlight the forms that, by law, you must complete and have on file we put together a New Hire Forms Checklist that you can download for free. 0 Comments Click here to read/write comments
Tags: Payroll, Human Resources, HR, I9s
Payroll, Hiring New Employees and Why I9s Are Important - Part 2
Posted by Michael Beauchemin on Tue, Jun 07, 2011 @ 09:37 AM
Email Article Tweet In part 1 of the article we highlighted the responsibility that an employer and an employee has with regards to the I9 and why it is important to have the I9s filled out correctly and on file when new employees are hired and started on payroll.
<?xml:namespace prefix = mce />This article focuses on the consequences you face if you fail to have I9s properly filled out and on file. It is essential that employers take the time to setup an internal process and procedures to validate they have I9s on file for all employees, they are filled out correctly, located in one folder or binder and can be readily accessed. Employers who violate the law may be subject to civil fines and criminal penalties as outlined in the tables below. In addition, if you have government contracts, or intend to compete for government contracts, I9 violations can cause debarment from government contracts. For substantiated charges of discrimination against you, you can be subject to a court order requiring you to pay back pay to individuals you were found to discriminate against as well as be required to hire individuals you discriminated against. The I9 only takes a few minutes to fill out while the consequences of not filling out and having I9s on file is extremely high...why run that risk. To help organize your employee files and highlight the forms that, by law, you must complete and have on file we put together a New Hire Forms Checklist that you can download for free. <?xml:namespace prefix = mce />
Tags: Payroll, New Employees, hiring new employees, I9s