What is E-Verify?
E-Verify is an Internet-based system that compares information from an employee’s Employment and Eligibility Verification, Form I-9, to data from U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration records to confirm employment eligibility.
Who uses E-Verify?
Employers, large and small, across the U.S. use E-Verify to check the employment eligibility of their employees. While participation is voluntary for most businesses, some companies may be required by law or federal regulation to use the system. Most employers in Arizona and Mississippi are required to use E-Verify and it is also mandatory for employers with federal contracts or subcontracts that contain the Federal Acquisition Regulation E-Verify clause. There is no charge to employers to use E-Verify.
What will I need to use E-Verify?
E-Verify is an Internet-based system, so you will need a computer with Internet access. It also requires the use of a Web browser. It has been tested and verified to work with Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher, Mozilla Firefox 1.0 or higher and Netscape 4.79 or higher (with the exception of Netscape 7.0). You will also need a printer to print various forms, notices and publications.
How do I enroll my company in E-Verify?
Enrolling in E-Verify is fairly simple. Once your company provides some basic information (see below), agrees to follow the rules of the program, and has any employees who will be using the system take a tutorial and pass a test, you will be ready to begin utilizing the system.
Before you enroll, you must decide the following:
• Who will sign the E-Verify Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on behalf of your company?
• Which hiring sites will participate in E-Verify?
• Which company location(s) will access E-Verify?
• Who in your company will have access to E-Verify?
• Who in your company should be a program administrator?
To enroll, you will need to know the following:
• Company Name
• The physical address of the location from which your company will access E-Verify (including county).
• Company mailing address.
• Employer identification number, aka Federal Tax ID Number.
• Total number of employees for all of your company’s hiring sites that will participate in E-Verify.
• The first three digits of your company’s primary North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code.
• The number of hiring sites that will participate in E-Verify in each state.
• Contact information for your company’s E-Verify in each state.
• Contact information for your company’s E-Verify Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signatory (name, phone number, fax number, and e-mail address).
When will I use E-Verify?
Employers should utilize the E-Verify system no later than three business days after the employee begins work for pay. The system guides the employer through a series of questions, which follow the Form I-9. If E-Verify cannot initially match the information, the employer will be prompted to review and correct the information necessary. Otherwise, E-Verify will display an initial response within three to five seconds. Remember, employees must always be given the chance to correct data mismatches as a result of an E-Verify search.
Do I need to notify my employees that our company is using E-Verify?
Remember, employers are responsible for notifying employees that they are using the E-Verify system. E-Verify posters and a Right to Work poster must be clearly visible to potential employees. These posters indicate that the employer participates in E-Verify and describes employees’ rights under the program. Posters are available on the E-Verify website and must be displayed in both English and Spanish.
What will I need from the Employee?
Using E-Verify is simple and information may be obtained from the employee’s Form I-9 to include:
• Name (last, first, middle initial, maiden)
• Document numbers (e.g., A-number, visa number, I-94 number)
• Social security number
• Date of birth
• Date of hire
• Attested citizenship status
When a case (i.e. employee’s information) is run through E-Verify, the system creates a unique case verification number. Employers are required to either record the case verification number on the employee’s Form I-9 or to print the case detail page that contains the verification number and attach it to the employee’s Form I-9.
Why use E-Verify?
E-Verify is the only service that verifies employees’ data against millions of government records and provides results within seconds, ensuring that employees are legal U.S. workers. There is no other program that provides the same peace of mind in such little time.
This information has been retrieved from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) website at www.uscia.gov/e-verify. For additional information, please visit the USCIS website or contact us at www.newfocushr.com.
Written By: Kristen Shingleton Deutsch, M.B.A., CCP
President, New Focus HR LLC
