Tag: immigration

I-9 Audits Are on the Rise

Post: Mar. 21, 2019

From RBT CPAs, Council of Industry Associate Member

Audits of I-9 records quadrupled in 2018 over the prior year (the federal fiscal year). That means nearly 6,000 employers were audited, which led to several dozen civil and criminal convictions. The agency involved — Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) — “is carrying out its commitment to increase the number of I-9 audits in an effort to create a culture of compliance among employers,” it stated upon releasing audit statistics. To accommodate the increase, HSI is beefing up its army of auditors. 

Most employers don’t intentionally falsify I-9 forms or knowingly accept falsified ones from employees. They simply make honest mistakes. And that’s what lets them get by with only a civil conviction instead of a criminal one. But, as the saying goes, ignorance of the law is no excuse. A civil offense conviction and its associated penalties still costs money and generates bad publicity. How can you avoid slipping up? With a quick review of basic I-9 employment eligibility verification requirements and common errors

Read more

Also see Find Out About IMAGE – ICE Mutual Agreement between Government Employers

Find Out About IMAGE – ICE Mutual Agreement between Government and Employers

Post: Mar. 20, 2019

For many companies around the country, building a successful business starts with hiring a capable workforce.

It can be a tedious process. One that begins with the recruitment of qualified candidates and continues with the subsequent steps of taking those potential employees through the hiring process, all while ensuring that all documentation is in compliance with the law.

As part of the hiring process, companies must conduct regular self-assessments to uncover flaws that could be exploited by unauthorized workers who create vulnerabilities in today’s marketplace by presenting false documents to gain employment, completing applications for fraudulent benefits and stealing identities of legal United States workers.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) conducts outreach through the ICE Mutual Agreement between Government and Employers, or IMAGE program, to instill a culture of compliance and accountability.

Read more https://www.ice.gov/features/image 

E Verify Services Unavailable During Government Shutdown

Post: Jan. 8, 2019

E-Verify—the federal electronic employment eligibility verification service—has expired due to a lapse in funding and will not be available during the partial shutdown of the U.S. government that began Dec. 22, 2018.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees the program, announced that the website www.e-verify.gov will not be actively managed and will not be updated until after funding is restored. The agency reported that “information on this website may not be up to date. Transactions submitted via this website might not be processed and we will not be able to respond to inquiries until after appropriations are enacted.”

Follow this link to find out what is unavailable and what policies have been implemented to minimize impact to employers:

https://www.e-verify.gov/e-verify-and-e-verify-services-are-unavailable