In a world where remote work has become a prevailing norm, traditional processes are evolving to adapt to this new reality. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has recognized this shift and recently introduced a groundbreaking policy that allows for remote document inspection in the Form I-9 verification process. This policy not [...]
On November 14, 2016, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a revised version of Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification which is available to use starting immediately. Starting Jan. 22, 2017, employers must use only the new version, dated 11/14/2016 N. Until then, they can continue to use the version dated 03/08/2013 N or the new [...]
In today’s globalized economy, more and more industries rely on telecommuters and remote employees to fill in positions, whether part-time or full-time. One of the challenges that our corporate clients are faced with in such a global market is the difficulty of getting remote employees to appear in person at the employer’s location and complete [...]
Immigration related compliance is an increasing concern for U.S. employers, who are often caught between two federal agencies with opposing interests: ensuring that all workers are authorized for employment in the U.S. and protecting those who are lawfully here from discrimination. Careful what you ask for The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (“IRCA”) [...]
Although the Form I-9 may on its face appear to be simple, it is imperative for employers and their human resource departments to ensure accuracy and full compliance with the Form I-9. Last year, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) inspected the I-9 Forms of 3,127 employers and issued over $15 million in fines. One [...]
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 [...]
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 the number of company audits and fines each year, it is important for employers to perform annual audits of their employment law and immigration [...]
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) pursuit of employers who violate federal immigration compliance laws is expected to be moving full speed ahead in 2014, and in some instances accelerating in comparison to prior years. As a result of both substantially increased funding for enforcement actions and an outcome of the public debate about illegal [...]
Are you looking to replace your error-prone I-9 paper process with an electronic system in 2014? Companies that are considering transitioning to electronic I-9s should be aware that there are significant issues related to legal liability, security, functionality, and cost. There are benefits and disadvantages to both approaches. Some advantages of using electronic I-9 [...]
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 [...]
