Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses across the United States have faced numerous challenges in adapting to remote work environments. One critical area impacted by this shift has been the verification of employment eligibility through Form I-9. To accommodate remote work, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) introduced temporary measures allowing for [...]
On October 9th 2015, California Governor Jerry Brown approved Assembly Bill No. 622 (AB 622). AB 622 is intended to prevent employment discrimination effected through improper use of the federal E-Verify system – the mostly voluntary online program allowing registered employers to check the employment authorization of new employees. AB 622 does not mandate or [...]
OCAHO reduced fine for a mom and pop family business, from $14,025 to $1,650, stating in the decision that “ICE overreaches when it issues a NIF and files a complaint containing allegations that the government actually knows to be false.” (U.S. v. Crescent City Meat Company, Inc., 4/22/14) This recently published case appears to demonstrate [...]
IMAGE (the ICE Mutual Agreement Between Government and Employers) is a voluntary partnership initiative between the federal government and private sector employers. The initiative is designed to foster cooperative relationships and to strengthen overall hiring practices. ICE developed the program as a new concept for employer self-compliance within the worksite enforcement program, through which employers can [...]
The large Indian technology company Infosys has agreed to pay $34 million in a civil settlement after federal prosecutors in Texas alleged it had committed "systemic visa fraud and abuse" when bringing temporary workers to the U.S. on H-1B and B-1 visas. This kind of settlement is the largest ever in a visa case and [...]
As an E-Verify designated agent, the Capitol Immigration Law Group handles the E-Verify processing for many employers and we would like to pass on some important post-government shutdown E-Verify information to our clients and to all companies who are working with E-Verify. Most importantly, USCIS has confirmed that the E-Verify system is now back online [...]
USCIS has just released new Reports on the E- Verify Program that focused on the accuracy of the program, employer opinions, employer and employee experiences in Arizona after state legislative mandates went into effect, and E-Verify Employer Agent (EEAs). The overall results from each of the studies show that the E-Verify users have confidence in [...]
The start of the new year is a perfect time to assess corporate compliance with U.S. immigration laws. As Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) and the Department of Labor (“DOL”) increase their number of company audits and fines each year, it is important for employers to perform annual audits of their employment law and immigration [...]
As of yesterday, March 21, 2011, the E-Verify Self Check system has been launched and made available to users who maintain an address and are physically located in Arizona, Idaho, Colorado, Mississippi, Virginia or the District of Columbia. About E-Verify Self Check E-Verify Self Check is the first online E-Verify program offered directly to workers [...]
Our office has received confirmation from AILA and from E-Verify that in certain cases, E-Verify would not verify employment authorization for an employee who is working for an employer under H-1B portability and where the employee previously held H-1B status but has since held an intervening status. For example, an employee holds H-1B status but [...]